The Whitefish Professional Ski Patrol Union needs your help!

We are the red coats you see scurrying around the mountain all day every day. We are the people who deeply love riding the slopes of Big Mountain. We are the medical responders who race out the door to help on people's worst days. We are the avalanche technicians waking up early to ensure a safe experience for everyone on those powder days that we all live for. We are passionate community members who share the slopes with each and everyone of you. We are the Whitefish Mountain Resort Professional Ski Patrol Union!

A common chairlift question lately has been "Hey, how is that union thing going for you all?" and that is a somewhat complicated answer. Our union is strong, with only two new rookies this season we are ecstatic to see how unionization is already helping retain our members! However, we are still currently negotiating with the mountain to obtain our first contract. In our bargaining sessions we have had many good conversations back and forth with the mountain and are working through many articles, but the hardest work is yet to come. Below are some of our goals still to be bargained with the mountain:

• Increasing our base wages to maintain our abilities to live in the Flathead Valley
• Decrease wage compression so our most tenured and knowledgeable patrollers are adequately compensated in a career that relies so heavily on years of work and training
• Create avenues for educational opportunities to allow patrollers to continue their education without financial burden to themselves
• Job security so that patrollers leaving a season in good standing don't have to worry for months about whether or not they still have the job they so deeply love

With those goals in mind, this is where we ask for your help! The community support already blows us away and fills our hearts. However, it is difficult to convey to the mountain all of our heartfelt chair lift ride conversations in our bargaining meetings. We ask that you sign this petition and spread it around so that we can show the mountain how important this union is to not only us, but our entire riding community. If you have any stories of how we have helped you or any messages of support we would also appreciate those in the comments. 

Thank you for your support as we continue to bargain with the mountain to reach a fair contract that will spread positive impacts all throughout our operation. Until then, we can't wait to see you up on the slopes of the one and only Big Mountain!

We are not actively seeking financial donations through this petition. All “donations” will be to change.org and not our union. 

-In Solidarity WMRPSP Union