Mediation sessions are scheduled for Thursday and Friday in the next phase of the negotiations between Vail Resorts and the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association.Meantime, on Saturday the union released an update through their Instagram page confirming that employees from other Vail Resorts mountains were being contacted to fill positions at Park City Mountain in the event of a strike. “We’re really frustrated to hear that the company has chosen to attempt to mitigate the effect of a strike rather than the symptoms of a strike,” said Margaux Klingensmith, union business manager and a sixth-year patroller. “If we saw the same time, effort, and money that they’ve put into bringing in scabs put into a fair contract for the people that have been dedicating years to become skilled professionals at Park City already, we wouldn’t have had to authorize a strike in the first place.”The union was optimistic about both sides agreeing last week to mediation, though union representatives expressed concern that finding mediators would further stall negotiations. With mediation now scheduled for Thursday and Friday this week, Klingensmith said they are pleased at the quick coordination. “We were incredibly pleased to hear that we were able to get a mediator so soon,” said Klingensmith. “But this recent effort to bring in scabs kind of indicates to us that they have no intention of bringing a reasonable offer to mediation on Thursday.”Vail Resorts has also expressed optimism for mediation measures and future negotiations, and has vowed to keep the resort open regardless of the patrol union’s actions. “Park City Mountain has plans in place to safely operate the resort all season long. We agreed to the patrol union’s request to schedule mediation this week. However, the union has continued to state that they may call a strike at any time, including in advance of mediation,” Deirdra Walsh, vice president and COO of Park City Mountain, said Monday.“If necessary, we are prepared to deploy our patrol support team, which consists of experienced patrollers from Park City Mountain and our other mountain resorts. We are proud of this team’s deep skills, certifications and professionalism. Patrol support team members are provided with training and resources to specialize in the terrain area they are assigned. In addition, we have two on-site medical clinics. Safety is always our No. 1 priority,” said Walsh.Klingensmith expressed concern that the support team lacks familiarity and experience with Park City Mountain. “Part of what we do when we’re training our first-year patrollers is familiarize them with the mountain. It takes pretty much their entire first year just to learn half of the mountain, not even the entire resort,” said Klingensmith. “It’s kind of wild to me for (Vail Resorts) to bring in other patrollers from other resorts and think that they will provide the same level of guest experience and safety as the people who have dedicated years and years to this resort.”In response to this, the union is asking these employees not to come to Park City and to support their effort. “A message to the folks that are coming here from other resorts: It’s not too late to stand with your fellow patrollers and our families and the community that we care really deeply about. Say no to scabbing and go back to their own resorts and communities,” said Klingensmith.Meantime, union representatives said they remain committed to securing a fair contract and continuing to work. “I really just hope they surprise us and bring something (to the bargaining table) that our unit can get behind. That would be awesome,” Klingensmith said. “But it really feels like that’s not the intention.”The post Mediation set this week in ski patrol union talks as Vail Resorts rounds up substitute patrollers just in case appeared first on Park Record.