Union employees at both the Kimberley Alpine Resort and the Trickle Creek Lodge have new three year deal in hand just as the ski hill prepares to open.
United Steelworkers Local I-405 lead negotiator for the deals Jeff Bromley says the negotiations went well right from the start.
“With the abundance of white stuff on the hill and the anticipation of the upcoming ski season, we were able to secure improvements in wages and benefits for our members at Kimberley Alpine Resort and a significant wage increase for our members at Trickle Creek Lodge,” said Bromley. “In past rounds of bargaining, with the downturn in the economy, both memberships at the Ski Hill and the hotel shared the pain and didn’t receive significant wage increases over that time.
“This time it went well right from the start. The employer came to the table with the intention of getting a deal and that’s exactly what happened.”
USW Local 1-405 represents workers at both the Ski Hill and the Trickle Creek Lodge but they are separate agreements and separate memberships. Both operations however are owned by Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR).
Trickle Creek has about 20 to 25 employees year round, while the ski hill has seven to 12 in the off season and about 120 during peak season, Bromley says.
Kimberley Alpine Resort is one of two ski hills organized by the Steelworkers in the province, the other being Red Mountain.
“When the mine was open, the Steelworkers organized the ski hill, city hall, the credit union and then the hotel when it was built,” Bromley said.
Both memberships still have to ratify the proposed agreements. Ratification meetings are scheduled for Thursday, December 12, 2013 at 1PM for the Ski Hill employees in the Slopeside Cafeteria and Friday, December 13, 2013 at 1PM for the Trickle Creek Lodge employees in the Steeples room of Trickle Creek Lodge.
Both bargaining committees are recommending acceptance of the memorandums.
“I want to thank the bargaining committee for their tireless work throughout this process and also the membership for their patience throughout the process,” added Bromley.