The Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association and Vail Resorts came to a tentative agreement Wednesday evening on part of their new contract — training — but not the main matter. The union still has not received a counterproposal on wages and benefits, representatives said. Both sides sounded optimistic about returning to the bargaining table this week. Having reached agreement on education and training, there are now 24 tentative agreements on the 27 total articles in the new contract. Nonetheless, the union filed unfair labor practice charges this week against Vail Resorts while the sides await mediation. They agreed to a mediator on Monday after tensions rose last week with the union walking out of a session last Thursday, Dec. 12, and members authorizing a strike in a unanimous vote. The ski patrollers said they will continue to work through their contract negotiations while mediators are being secured, and the company vowed to keep Park City Mountain open and safe regardless of any union action.  “Although mediation has been agreed to, this does not negate the union’s ability to call a strike at any time if negotiations continue on the unproductive path that Vail is forcing us down,” said union leaders in a statement this Thursday. Vail Resorts has so far stayed with its current wage proposal.“We respect our patrollers and we feel really good about our compensation packages that we’ve offered,” said Bill Rock, the president of Vail Resort’s mountain division. “Their wages have gone up over 50% over the last four years. The current proposal on the table has them receiving a 4% increase, plus the $1,600 equipment allowance, which we feel really good about.” The union expressed frustration with the lack of a counterproposal on wages and benefits, having given their updated offer to Vail Resorts last week. “The company did not come prepared (last Thursday) with counter offers on wages or benefits, perpetuating a pattern of delay that the union views as a stall tactic designed to wear down its members, negotiators and executive board. While we are hopeful mediation is a step forward, the lack of counteroffers underscores the union’s concerns with this bargaining process,” the union’s statement this Thursday said.  The union also responded to Vail Resort’s current 4% wage increase offer: “The company confirmed the 4% offer it has been publicly communicating includes our merit increases earned last season under our old contract, which the company has been withholding as leverage in these negotiations. This makes the company’s latest proposal effectively a 0.5% increase for the bargaining unit.”The post Ski patrol union contract negotiations reach agreement on 24th of 27 items, but not the main one: pay appeared first on Park Record.