Author: UPSPA CWA 7781

My patrol life began a long time ago. The first time I put on a Patrol jacket and fanny pack was in 1974 as a NSP Junior patroler at Sugarloaf Mtn in Maine. I lied and said I was 16 and my cousin, a pro hill captain sold me to the boss. I was just 14.

I’ve been banging around steep snowy places helping people out of jams and nasty spots for quite a while.

Deep snow, big dogs and my wife are important to me in reverse order. Being buried in dog holes is good stuff.

To me our union is very important. As an individual in the vast and generally wealthy ski industry I have always been one replaceable, relatively unimportant ant in an ever changing corporate world.

Continue reading “Lauri – Park City”

I’m in my 7th season patroller at Canyons/Park City, and I’d like to inspire you to consider the many benefits of working in a union environment. We have in front of us a giant corporation that has many wishes and business to take care of, and in my experience day to day working conditions and line employees are usually the first to see the effects of cost cutting and disconnected remote management.

As a union we encourage each of us to ask challenging questions. Like, what about work is important to me? What is best for my peers, our rookies, and our organization?

It’s a great feeling to have an opportunity to speak out and propose issues and improvements to take to negotiations.

To leave that in the hands of a massive company you just never know what you’ll get and if it’s right.
There have been no negatives of working in a union setting in my experience whatsoever! Looking forward to skiing with you all.

-Dave Telian, Park City