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Today β€” 12 January 2025Main stream

Ski patrollers are essential to mountain resorts. Most make less than $25 an hour and work multiple jobs to get by.

12 January 2025 at 01:23
A smiling ski patroller disappears from view.
 

Getty Images; Chelsea Jia Feng/BI

  • Park City ski patrollers reached a deal with Vail Resorts on January 8 after a labor strike.
  • Ski patrollers told BI they must work multiple jobs to survive in mountain resort towns.
  • Seasoned patrollers say they may change jobs due to unsustainable wages and steep living expenses.

Days after a historic labor strike in Park City ended, America's ski patrollers are caught between their love of the slopes and the steep price of mountain resort living.

Kali Flaherty, for example, doubts she will ever own a home.

The 26-year-old works full-time in ski patrol at Colorado's Arapahoe Basin. For the past three winters, she has kept trails clear, stabilized injured skiers and snowboarders, helped prevent avalanches, and trained rookie patrollers.

Flaherty said it's her "dream job." But her $23 hourly pay isn't enough to cover living expenses, and she works shifts at a nearby healthcare clinic to make ends meet. She rents an apartment with a few roommates in Breckenridge, about 20 miles from Arapahoe Basin.

Like many ski patrollers, Flaherty is in a bind. The cost of living in resort towns like Breckenridge, Vail, Aspen, and Park City continues to skyrocket, pushing out the employees who keep them operational. Being close to these areas is also key for employees because of high commuting costs and dangerous winter road conditions. Several patrollers told Business Insider that they struggle to afford housing, groceries, and gas, let alone build savings. Some expect they will have to switch industries for higher-paying work, and many current patrollers work multiple jobs to stay afloat.

These financial challenges have culminated in labor disputes. On January 8, Vail Resorts granted the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association a $2 raise for entry-level patrollers β€” from a $21 hourly pay floor to a $23 hourly pay floor β€” and agreed to improve benefits . The deal followed a weekslong patroller strike during the busy holiday season.

Meanwhile, ski patrollers at Arapahoe Basin, where Flaherty works, are voting to formalize their union this month. Several other patroller groups at Vail Resorts and Alterra Mountain Company-owned mountains have unionized or taken collective action in the past few years.

Flaherty wants to be a ski patroller for her entire career β€” but she said it comes with sacrifices. She hopes Park City's contract helps make it possible for employees like her to build financially stable lives near resort towns.

"I don't see myself being able to buy property up here, which is always the dream," she said. "I would love to not be living with roommates my entire life, but the way that I make money as a patroller now, that's my reality."

Representatives for Vail and Alterra β€” the parent organizations of the ski resorts where the patrollers BI interviewed work β€” did not respond to comment requests.

A ski patroller holds a "Honk to support ski patrol" sign
Mike Reilly, 33, is a ski patroller at Park City, where staff reached a deal with Vail Resorts on January 8.

Photo Courtesy of Mike Reilly

Ski patrollers are facing steep expenses and low wages

The average ski patroller makes $21.56 an hour, per the job platform Indeed. Compensation varies based on years of experience, level of medical training, and safety certifications, said the ski patrollers Business Insider interviewed. For example, an EMT or paramedic license might add a few dollars to patrollers' wages. Patrollers' benefits vary by resort, though most receive free lift tickets β€” which can range from $120 to $300 a day β€” as part of their role.

For many patrollers, finding affordable housing in the markets where they work is challenging. The five patrollers BI spoke with rent with several roommates, or have to commute long distances to work. The median monthly rent in a town like Breckenridge is $5,000, per Zillow, a price that exceeds some ski patrollers' total monthly income.

Groceries and gas are also costly in many mountain areas because of limited stores and the high transportation costs for goods. A dozen eggs is just over $4 in Denver, but nearly $7 in Breckenridge.

Kyle Eveland, 24, makes $23.28 an hour as a second-year ski patroller at Breckenridge Resort in Colorado. Before he reports to the mountain every morning to set up avalanche mitigation equipment, Eveland said he shovels snow for a nearby property. He works a full-time construction job over the summer, when the ski resort is closed, and recently began a part-time role pumping concrete between his patrol shifts.

"I would love to do what I love every day and take the sacrifice of not making a lot of money doing that," he said, adding "I pretty much live paycheck to paycheck in the winter. It would be super, super tight if I just patrolled."

Right now, Eveland lives in Breckenridge with seven other roommates. He said he took a pay cut when he decided to join ski patrol, despite the job requiring significant training. He previously worked at Breckenridge as a chairlift operator. Eveland said he may need to leave his patrolling job if he wants to afford a down payment or support a family in the future.

"I got my EMT license and that got me a single dollar raise," he said.

Tate Finigan's experience is similar. The 26-year-old recently began his third season as a ski patroller in Park City. Finigan commutes from Salt Lake City, over a 30-mile drive, every day because he can't afford housing in Park City. When he's not on the mountain, Finigan babysits and walks dogs, and previously picked up shifts as a bartender.

"It's been really hard to try and live in this community that we all so badly want to be a part of," he said.

Kyle Eveland, 24, works as a ski patroller at Colorado's Breckenridge Resort.
Kyle Eveland, 24, is a second-year ski patroller at Breckenridge Resort in Colorado.

Photo Courtesy of Kyle Eveland

In a profession that relies on experience, seasoned patrollers aren't sure they can stay

Ski patrolling requires specialized skills: sharp ski competence, outdoor survival and avalanche certifications, and medical expertise. The ski patrollers BI interviewed said that this experience is honed over time, meaning that seasoned patrollers are often best at training rookies and handling on-mountain crises.

Mike Reilly, 33, has been a ski patroller at Park City for six years. He cares about his job, but he isn't sure how long he will remain on staff. Each year, Reilly said it becomes more challenging to pay his bills β€” even with his second job as a barista. Reilly said that cost of living challenges mean many experienced ski patrollers like him are considering leaving for second, more lucrative careers. He recently finished nursing school.

"I went to nursing school, but that was really out of desperation," he said. "I would much rather patrol and remain a career-patroller, if that meant I could afford to pay rent and not work 20 days in a row."

Max Magill is a 10-year ski patroller at Park City and president of United Mountain Workers, a union that represents ski patrollers, lift mechanics, and other resort employees across the Western US. He told BI that efforts to raise patroller wages are happening across America's ski industry because the job isn't financially sustainable long-term. After a decade in the job, Magill said he's still working side gigs and living paycheck to paycheck.

"The operation of big Western ski resorts with avalanche terrain really does hinge on the work of these experienced ski patrollers," he said. "The guest experience would be completely different if there were not experienced ski patrollers being retained at these resorts."

After the Park City deal was struck, Magill said in a press statement that "the victory will help raise employment standards for all ski industry employees."

To be sure, high living expenses impact other mountain employees besides ski patrollers. Reilly said food service, lift operator, lift mechanic, and ticket scanner jobs are also key to keeping resorts open and safe. Many of these employees make similar wages to ski patrollers.

Flaherty isn't sure she can stay on patrol forever, but she's hoping to keep clicking on her skis for as long as she can. It helps to know others in her profession are also working toward a better future.

"Our patrollers have come together more than ever before," she added. "It has created a positive environment to know that we all have each other's backs."

Kyle Eveland, 24, works on avalanche mitigation with fellow ski patrollers at Breckenridge Resort.
Kyle Eveland, 24, works on avalanche mitigation with his fellow ski patrollers at Breckenridge Resort.

Photo Courtesy Kyle Eveland

Do you live in or near a resort town? Are you open to sharing how you manage expenses? If so, reach out to this reporter at allisonkelly@businessinsider.com.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Before yesterdayMain stream

Boeing has finally started producing the 737 Max again, almost a month after the end of its massive strike

By: Pete Syme
10 December 2024 at 02:57
Employees work on Boeing 737 MAX airplanes at the Boeing Renton Factory in Renton, Washington on March 27, 2019
Employees working on a Boeing 737 Max at the factory in Renton, Washington.

JASON REDMOND/AFP via Getty Images

  • Boeing restarted 737 Max production last Friday, Reuters reported.
  • It comes nearly a month after a seven-week strike restrained the already embattled planemaker.
  • Returning to previous production levels could take months but is key to restoring trust.

Boeing restarted production of its 737 Max aircraft last Friday, nearly a month after a strike that lasted seven weeks, Reuters reported.

A slowdown in 737 Max production this year has annoyed customers β€” further delaying deliveries of aircraft in an industry hampered by supply-chain constraints.

Getting production back on track will likely go some way to restoring trust with both airlines and regulators. Other issues remain, like achieving certification of the 777X, and a judge rejecting Boeing's plea deal over two Max crashes in 2018 and 2019.

Boeing declined to comment when contacted by Business Insider.

The Federal Aviation Administration limited Boeing's output of the type to 38 a month following January's Alaska Airlines blowout. Boeing had slowed beyond that as it works to overhaul its production practices.

Then, in mid-September, Seattle-area workers represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) went on strike. The strike brought 737 Max production to a halt and saw Boeing raise up to $24.3 billion to boost its liquidity.

After tense and protracted negotiations, union members voted to end the strike in early November.

In an October earnings call, CEO Kelly Ortberg said it would likely take a couple of weeks to bring everyone back, given recertification and retraining efforts.

The FAA told Reuters last month that it "will further strengthen and target our oversight as the company begins its return-to-work plan."

Boeing has a backlog of around 5,400 commercial aircraft worth roughly $428 billion. Around 4,700 of those are 737 Max jets.

FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker previously told Reuters that he would be surprised if it took less than multiple months for the company to reach the 38 maximum production limit.

Boeing's share price has dropped 37% since the start of the year. As of 5 a.m. ET, it was up about 0.5% in premarket trading following Reuters' report.

Read the original article on Business Insider

CEO Attempted to Navigate Anti-LGBT Hate Incident By Telling Employees His Mentor Was a KKK Member

5 December 2024 at 07:25
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CEO Attempted to Navigate Anti-LGBT Hate Incident By Telling Employees His Mentor Was a KKK Member

More than 150 employees at the cloud services giant Digital Ocean protested last year after its CEO explained in an all-hands meeting that his former mentor was a member of the Ku Klux Klan, which he said shows how employees can work together despite holding different beliefs. The CEO’s comments led to widespread outrage among employees on Slack, in a formal open letter, and in an employee walkout that has not been previously reported.

The all-hands meeting was intended to address the fallout of an employee posting an anti-LGBT meme on LinkedIn after the company changed its logo to be rainbow colored during Pride Month. 

404 Media has obtained video of a July 2023 meeting in which the then-CEO of Digital Ocean, Yancey Spruill, tells employees that a company's "values," are not the same as an individual employee’s personally held beliefs. Digital Ocean is a huge, publicly traded cloud services and data center provider that has become particularly important with the rise of AI. Spruill has since left the company.

0:00
/2:41

An excerpt of Spruill's remarks

"Every time we leave our home we have to bend our belief system because we engage with human beings who are different than us in any number of dimensions. And this is really critical that beliefs are not our values, our behaviors. However, we all have to sign up for the [company's] values," Spruill said. "All the companies I’ve ever been in, I don’t remember the numbers, the EBITDA, the projects I worked on. What I do remember isβ€”did that company live and honor its values? Did the employees?"

Trump's Labor Secretary pick is winning Democratic praise — and GOP skepticism

3 December 2024 at 14:13
Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon
Trump has nominated Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, an Oregon Republican who supports a major pro-labor bill, to serve as Secretary of Labor.

Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

  • Trump is nominating GOP Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer to be his Secretary of Labor.
  • She's a political moderate who's backed a pro-union bill that many Republicans don't like.
  • That's earned her some initial praise from Democratic senators β€” and skepticism from the right.

As President-elect Donald Trump builds out his prospective cabinet, one nominee has emerged as a potential favorite of Democrats β€” and a headache for Republicans.

Trump announced last month that he's nominating Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a first-term Republican who just lost a tough reelection fight in a Democratic-leaning Oregon district, to serve as his Secretary of Labor.

Unlike most Republicans, she's positioned herself as an ally of labor unions, has co-sponsored major Democratic pro-union bills, and has earned the backing of some prominent labor leaders ahead of her Senate confirmation battle next year.

"Oftentimes, you'll get a nominee out of a Republican administration who has had an anti-labor record," said Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia. "Her track record would suggest she could be a good advocate."

Chavez-DeRemer is one of just three House Republicans who've cosponsored the PRO Act, a sweeping piece of legislation that would override state-level "right-to-work" laws that Republicans have long supported while strengthening workers' ability to form unions. She was also one of just eight House Republicans to cosponsor a separate bill that would guarantee public-sector employees the right to organize.

"I've only heard good things," said Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania. "She's a supporter of the PRO Act, and that's like the holy grail of labor."

Several Democratic senators have offered conditional praise for Chavez-DeRemer, indicating that they're willing to support her nomination if she commits to strengthening labor unions in her new position.

Meanwhile, many Republicans are declining to weigh in on her support for pro-labor legislation, saying they'd like to meet with her first. But a handful of them, particularly those who are more supportive of right-to-work laws, have publicly expressed reservations about her.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, the top Republican on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, wrote on X that he needed a "better understanding of her support for Democrat legislation in Congress that would strip Louisiana's ability to be a right to work state, and if that will be her position going forward."

Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana
Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana has expressed reservations about Chavez-DeRemer's support for the PRO Act.

Kayla Bartkowski/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

"I don't know her, don't really know much about her record, other than what I've read," said Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. "Some of those things she supports would give me some concern."

A spokesperson for Chavez-DeRemer told BI that she would reserve comment on her nomination out of respect for the confirmation process, but that she looks forward to advancing the Trump administration's policies.

An 'early test' of the GOP's relationship with labor under Trump

Chavez-DeRemer's nomination comes as the GOP's relationship with labor has begun to shifted, with self-styled populists like Sens. JD Vance of Ohio and Josh Hawley of Missouri pushing for the party to take a more worker-friendly approach than it has before. And in recent years, organized labor and labor unions have enjoyed a bipartisan resurgence of support.

Fetterman argued that it was "smart" for Trump to nominate Chavez-DeRemer, given the drift of union voters into the GOP in recent elections. "I think that means that he's making a move to continue to grab even more votes out of the unions," said Fetterman.

But Chavez-DeRemer won't have singular power of labor policy in America, and Trump's appointees to the National Labor Relations Board will likely be especially consequential for workers and organized labor.

Biden's NLRB β€” which weighs in on labor-related cases and can investigate different labor disputes β€” has, among other labor-friendly moves, ruled that captive audience meetings are unlawful and set new precedents making it easier for workers to organize.

By contrast, Trump's NLRB took steps that ultimately weakened workers' organizing ability, including curtailing organizers's abilities to leaflet at employers' property and restricting areas where union organizers could be.

"Donald Trump has not exactly been an ally of working families and and labor. So if she's confirmed, we'll see how she does," said Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden, who said he wanted to make sure his fellow Oregonian got a "fair shake" in her confirmation hearings. "I'll be listening closely to her testimony."

In a statement offering conditional praise for Chavez-DeRemer, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts argued that Chavez-DeRemer's nomination offers an "early test" of whether Trump will "stand strong with workers or bow down to his corporate donors and the Republican establishment's opposition."

"If Republican Senators block Trump's labor nominee for standing with unions, it will show that the party's support for workers is all talk," said Warren.

Hawley, who supports Chavez-DeRemer's nomination, said that her confirmation will indeed be a "test of whether or not the party is going to follow this president on his agenda for labor and for workers."

For now, many Republicans appear to be in wait-and-see mode β€” and a GOP desire to show party unity could help keep Republican support from cratering.

"My bias is supporting President Trump in staffing his administration with the people he wants around him," said Johnson.

"I don't support the PRO Act. I think the PRO Act is not good policy," said Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. "But I'll assess every nominee on the merits."

Read the original article on Business Insider

The most auspicious year for Chinese births is almost over. For dragon babies, the competition is just getting started.

Torn up red envelope with a dragon.

Getty Images; Jenny Chang-Rodriguez/BI

  • Being born in the year of the dragon is auspicious, according to the Chinese lunar calendar.
  • Dragon babies are regarded as smart, successful, and natural leaders.
  • Experts say that being born in this year can make life harder at work and in school.

Jackson Koh was born in Singapore in the Chinese Year of the Dragon. Growing up, he says he was his aunts' and uncles' favorite β€” and he knows why.

"When I was young, every Chinese New Year, my relatives would ask, 'What zodiac is your child?' And my parents would say, 'Oh, he's a dragon,'" said Koh, a 23-year-old student at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University.

"And then all the relatives were, like, 'Wow! He's going to grow up to be very rich and very successful,'" he added.

"Obviously, listening to all this every year, it'll build up your ego. You just think, 'Oh, I'm a dragon, I'm special,'" Koh said.

Why the Dragon Year is special

There are 12 Chinese zodiac animals, arranged in the following order: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. The cycle repeats every 12 years.

Under the lunar calendar, 2024 is the year of the dragon.

The dragon is the only mythical creature among the dozen animals. It's considered the most auspicious zodiac by the Chinese β€” and people in Asia make it a point to procreate, with hopes of birthing a child in those 12 calendar months.

Dancers and citizens wearing different costumes attend the Chinese New Year parade as part of the celebrations of Chinese New Year in New York City.
2024 is the year of the dragon, the only mythological creature in the Chinese zodiac.

Fatih Aktas/Anadolu via Getty Images

According to Singapore's Department of Statistics, births went from 36,178 in 2011 to 38,641 in 2012, the most recent dragon year. The number of births in the following year, 2013, dipped back down to 35,681.

A similar trend of dragon-year birth spikes was observed in 1988 and 2000.

People born in the dragon year are said to be natural leaders, intelligent, and charismatic.

"Dragon babies are, for the most part, intensely desired and prized by their parents. Culturally, dragons are held in the highest esteem β€” they were symbols of the emperor," Ee Cheng Ong, an associate professor of economics at the National University of Singapore (NUS), told Business Insider.

Special attention, but more competition

Several dragon babies in Singapore told Business Insider they were a source of pride for their family elders, who showered them with more attention because of their birth year.

Melissa Anne Lim, a self-employed 23-year-old, said that, like Jackson Koh, she was doted on growing up.

"My grandma loves that I'm a dragon," said Lim. "Being a dragon baby kind of gave me a little more special attention, from the aunties especially."

Dragon babies are also likely to face more competition in school and in the workplace from their direct peers.

"Because schools have limited resources, including numbers of classrooms, facilities, and teachers, it is indeed correct that people born in such years may face disadvantages in terms of having larger class sizes and more competition in accessing 'top schools,'" said Kelvin Seah, a senior economics lecturer at NUS.

And it's not just schools. Seah said dragon babies will also have a tougher time looking for jobs after graduation.

"There are only so many jobs available in the economy. The larger cohort size means more competition for the limited number of jobs after graduation," Seah said.

In 2017, researchers from NUS published a study on the life outcomes of dragon babies in Singapore.

The study β€” which had a sample size of 4,608 and is based on local birth, employment, and university admissions data from 1960 to 2015 in Singapore β€” found that Chinese dragon babies earned 6.3% less than other Chinese birth cohorts upon entering the workforce.

The study also found that Chinese dragon babies were 2.3% less likely to gain admission to local universities in Singapore.

A numbers game

In other places where the lunar year is observed β€” and accorded cultural significance β€” people born in the year of the dragon also face a unique set of challenges.

In China, for instance, dragon babies taking the gaokao, the country's marathon university entrance exams, may face more intense competition with a larger cohort, said Stuart Gietel-Basten, a professor of social science and public policy at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Senior three students at New Century Senior High School are reviewing in a classroom in Qinhuangdao city, Hebei province, China, on the evening of June 3, 2024.
Every year, batches of Chinese high school students study intensely for the gaokao, an examination that will define their future.

CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images

China also sees birth rate spikes in dragon years. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, in 2012, China's birth rate reached 14.57 births per 1,000 people. That was an increase from 13.27 births per 1,000 people in 2011. Births dipped the following year, to 13.03 births per 1,000 people in 2013.

But the latest crop of dragon babies may have it easier, with competition evening out as birth rates drop.

And cultural expectations may be changing, Gietel-Basten added. Dragon babies might have once been subject to great pressure to exceed expectations, but Gietel-Basten says he'd be "surprised" if that same level of pressure would be applied to 2024's dragon babies as they grow older.

"You could even say that if you're a dragon baby, you become more confident," Gietel-Basten said. "And so you could prosper not out of the pressure that's been put on you, but because of that confidence."

Dragon baby spikes aside, birth rates remain low

Whether it's hard to be a dragon baby or not, one thing is clear: Asian countries β€” including Singapore and China, both of which follow the lunar year β€” are facing a birth rate problem.

In 2023, China's population fell for the second year in a row due to record-low birth rates. Singapore recorded a total fertility rate of 0.97 in 2023, the first time it had ever fallen below 1.0.

Policymakers across Asia are resorting to a wide range of measures to try to convince people to have more children.

In 2016, China dropped its controversial one-child policy and allowed couples to have two kids. The government changed its rules again in 2021 to let couples have up to three children.

A newborn baby, whose Chinese zodiac sign is dragon, is seen with the mother at a hospital in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province, Feb. 10, 2024.
China has made multiple drastic pivots to its population policy and now wants people to have more kids.

Chen Qibao/Xinhua via Getty Images

Tokyo's government said in June that it was investing $1.3 million to launch its own dating app for residents. Japan's total population has declined for the 15th straight year in 2023.

Seoul is offering up to $730 in incentives to people looking to reverse their vasectomies and tubal ligations. South Korea in 2023 recorded the world's lowest fertility rate, at 0.72 births per woman.

Some leaders are using the allure of the dragon baby in their messaging to encourage more children.

In February, then-Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his annual Chinese New Year message that it is a good time for families to "add a 'little dragon.'"

"I hope my encouragement prompts more couples to try for a baby, although I know that the decision is a very personal one," Lee said.

But higher than ordinary birth rates in a given year can also stress social systems.

"If there's still a bunching of baby deliveries in dragon years, that will create tension within schools and public educational resources," said Qian Wenlan, a finance and real estate professor at the National University of Singapore. Qian co-authored the 2017 study about life outcomes for dragon babies in Singapore.

"In some years, you just have to employ more teaching staff β€” such as adjunct teachers, for example β€” to accommodate and to educate more students," Qian added.

Still, even if the road is paved with challenges, sometimes being born a dragon is little more than a happy accident.

"At the end of the day, there are many other factors to take into consideration when we family plan," Lim, the 23-year-old dragon baby, said. "I have a niece and nephew who were both born in the year of the dragon. Did their parents plan for them to be dragons? Not exactly β€” but it was a pleasant surprise."

Read the original article on Business Insider

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