Lifties

[catskills]

I was a liftie from 1969 to 1972. The 1969 minimum wage being almost equivalent to $10 an hour was good money for a high school and college student. I think if minimum wage was $10 and hour you would see a lot more local lifties again. Of course Ski Area Management claims they need to hire more international folks like South America and make them live 6 to a room. Obviously this is a bunch of BS. :roll:

Increase the wages and you will have plenty of locals that want to work as a liftie. :wink:

 

[faceplant]

The lifties at Belleayre are locals. One of them looks like Santa with the big white beard and he wears a Santa hat around X-Mas.

if thats Mike Kelly your talkin about--worked the top of 1 & 2

heard he passed a few months back, mebbe June
nice guy Mike

RIP brother





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[faceplant]

The lifties at Belleayre are locals. There's also the old guy who is at the mid-station of the Tomahawk Quad who blasts classical music and waves or salutes you when you go by.

he's still going strong
told me he turned 80 last winter & they threw a big party for him in the Overlook

who doesnt love that guy?

:smile:


.

 

[ERJ-145CA]

if thats Mike Kelly your talkin about--worked the top of 1 & 2

heard he passed a few months back, mebbe June
nice guy Mike

RIP brother





.

I never asked him his name but he usually worked the top of 1 or 2 and occasionally the top of the Superchief. He would always say hi and seemed like a nice guy. That's too bad, RIP.

 

[riverc0il]

It seems now that a lot of the lifties are younger, or shipped in from South America.

Perhaps at the bigger resorts this is the case. But I go entire seasons without seeing anything but local lifties, often times guys born right around the corner that have worked seasonal jobs all their lives. I know the imports have a great opportunity and they probably work as hard or hard than the locals. And I know the ski area liftie jobs don't pay much and ski areas have a hard time attracting local workers due to low wages for seasonal work. But that said, I always think it odd when I do see imported help from places that never see snow. Just is odd. But... I rarely see that where I ski.

 

[twinplanx]

When I worked on the mountain I was shocked at the lack of Skiers/Snowboards amongst my fellow employees. Not the imported laborers, but the locals who did not want to spend there off days on the hill. I mean, the Season Pass is the biggest incentive to go to work for a resort. Isn't it???

 

[riverc0il]

When I worked on the mountain I was shocked at the lack of Skiers/Snowboards amongst my fellow employees. Not the imported laborers, but the locals who did not want to spend there off days on the hill. I mean, the Season Pass is the biggest incentive to go to work for a resort. Isn't it???

Whenever it is a powder day, I always think to myself "would hate to be a liftie today". But then I remember most don't ski or ride (at least the non-college aged crowd) and it makes perfect sense why not. That is a long time to be out there watching other people have fun while you work.

 

[severine]

It has its rewards as well. Yup, it's a long time to be out there watching other people have fun but people have to work and there are certainly far worse jobs out there.

 

[Warp Daddy]

My home area has all local lifties who have been there for years . The mtn runs a sand and gravel business in the off season so these guys all work yr round

 

[ski_resort_observer]

I don't know any of the big resorts who pay minimim wage.now. With the free pass and other perks added in most resorts now pay $9/10 starting wage. Resorts and not just ski resorts rely on them too for the simple reason the local labor pool is not big enough to fill all the jobs. Especially those resorts in rural locations and I think ski resorts are mostly in rural areas.

Sure there are some people who would rather collect UI than work. Hell, many of these folks have worked for low wages so their UI weekly amount ain't exactly big bucks.so these folks are in the minority. Everyone I know would rather make $450 a week working than $250 a week on unemployment.

It's easy to advance the stereotype that they are all a bunch of bums who would rather be on public assistance than work but I don't buy it. It was more true 20 years ago for sure. I actually moved to Jackson cause I accepted the job as the Unemployment Specialiost for Teton County. Many were on "Uncle Sams Ski Team" back then but not anymore.

 

[mattchuck2]

I was a liftie from 1969 to 1972. The 1969 minimum wage being almost equivalent to $10 an hour was good money for a high school and college student. I think if minimum wage was $10 and hour you would see a lot more local lifties again. Of course Ski Area Management claims they need to hire more international folks like South America and make them live 6 to a room. Obviously this is a bunch of BS. :roll:

Increase the wages and you will have plenty of locals that want to work as a liftie. :wink:

Yeah . . . The advantage to immigrant labor is that they're cheap, but the real kicker is that, if you give them employee housing, employee benes, etc., they get married to the job, and they can't leave. Therefore, you can treat them like crap, and they have no choice but to just deal with it.

They aren't doing jobs that Americans won't do, they are just doing jobs that Americans won't do for that wage. $7 an hour with no health insurance for a half year job is not what I'd call making a living. Ski areas are into the bottom line, so if they have to screw over a bunch of "locals" to increase shareholder profit, they won't hesitate for a second (note: this commentary mostly refers to giant conglomerate owned ski areas - Vail Resorts, Intrawest, etc. - My home mountain, Gore, has all local lifties)

 

[Geoff]

I don't know any of the big resorts who pay minimim wage.now. With the free pass and other perks added in most resorts now pay $9/10 starting wage. Resorts and not just ski resorts rely on them too for the simple reason the local labor pool is not big enough to fill all the jobs. Especially those resorts in rural locations and I think ski resorts are mostly in rural areas.

That just ain't the case at Killington. The seasonal foreign workers get paid minimum wage. Period. I don't consider "employee 50% discount" for wildly expensive cafeteria food, a free bus pass, and a free season pass to be worth much if you're a local trying to pay your bills. Heaven help you if you get sick. Killington only has 100 or so workers left on full time payroll receiving health insurance benefits. Everybody else is classified part time seasonal. This is the kind of labor abuse that caused unions to form. The labor pool in Rutland is plenty large enough to staff Killington but, instead, Rutland has massive unemployment since Killington doesn't pay a living wage.

Preston Smith used to say with pride that he had over 300 full timers. He felt it was his obligation as the dominant employer in the region to pay a living wage with benefits. Chris Nyberg, in comparison, is Ebenezer Scrooge. For the life of me, I don't understand why the employees didn't pull in a union 2 years ago when Nyberg showed up. I also don't have a clue why Bernie Sanders is ignoring the fact that his constituents are getting screwed by foreign seasonal workers at a time when the local unemployment rate is around 9% in Rutland County.

 

[mattchuck2]

I also don't have a clue why Bernie Sanders is ignoring the fact that his constituents are getting screwed by foreign seasonal workers at a time when the local unemployment rate is around 9% in Rutland County.

I'm going to TRY not to get too far into political discussion, but:

Many lawmakers were infuriated by reports that banks receiving bailout funds had sought foreign workers for high-paying jobs stateside, even as they were laying off U.S. citizens. Some foreign workers were hired for senior human resource positions. In response, Congress enacted stricter limits on aid going to businesses that employ H-1B workers.

"The very least we can do is to make sure that banks receiving a taxpayer bailout are not allowed to import cheaper labor from overseas while they are throwing American workers out," says Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who sponsored the restrictions with Grassley

.

I think Sanders is one of the good guys on this issue . . . I've heard him talk about this before.

Oh, and by the way, from the same article:

Come winter, Danette Logan, HR director for Colorado’s Aspen Skiing Co., anticipates needing only a fraction of the 300 or so H-2B workers she previously hired as ski instructors, ticket takers, slope groomers and hospitality workers. There will be fewer skiers during the recession, and unemployed U.S. workers might be desperate enough to take temporary jobs on the slopes.

Progress!!!!! :roll:

(http://www.shrm.org/Publications/hrmagazine/EditorialContent/Pages/0609zeidner.aspx)

 

[ski_resort_observer]

In Vermont, the minimum wage is almost $8/hr. Foreign workers are paid less as they get lodging, some get meals included. Several companies have left Rutland County in the last 10 years, that's why it has a high unemployment rate. I realize that living up at kmart for the past year or so makes one think it is the center of the world for Rutland but it isn't. I grew up near Rutland and my ex-wife is a Rutland native. To many Rutlandites kmart doesn't even exist, they don't ski.

Here in the MRV the ski business does dominate the labor market but not in Rutland, not even close. I bet if a company came into Rutland offering jobs staring at $8/hr, the line would be long. People have alot more pride then you give them credit. As I said in another post they would rather work for $450/week then $250 on unemployment.

Another fact that hasn't been mentioned is that many of the foreign workers are college kids. Our winter is their summer vacation. Over the years I have gotten to know many and none of them have described the scenerio you put forward. They are treated very well here at the Bush and enjoy their jobs. It is true that most do not ski/ride. These workers come hear by choice, they are some that even come multiple years. You sound like it's like the 1800's when men were kidnapped and forced to work on ships travelling the high seas. No one puts their gun to their heads, they choose to come here.

I have a couple of friends who married resort foreign workers. One couple has now been married 10 years.

If kmart/Powdr treats foreign workers as bad you you say that's sucks. One question....how many of the foreign workers do you know by name...without looking at their name tag? Just curious.

 

[mattchuck2]

One question....how many of the foreign workers do you know by name...without looking at their name tag? Just curious.

None. But like I said, my mountain has all local lifties.

I guess it would be okay with you then to take it to the next logical step. Why not hire Chinese or Indian workers to work the lifts at the Major resorts. After all, you could then pay even less for the labor. In fact, by the scenario you describe (resorts pay less than minimum by adding housing and food) , all you would have to do is say "We'll give you meals and housing, but those two things are expensive in a Ski Town, so you'll be making essentially $3 an hour. With no health insurance." They'd take it in a heartbeat (still a lot more than they'd be making in China), and the mountain would make money hand over fist. In fact, why stop at Lift operator? Every menial job in America can be filled this way! Lower Lift Ticket Prices for all!!! (Oh wait, that never seems to happen) Higher CEO Pay for POWDR!!!!

 

[Glenn]

I noticed that a lot of them seem to be college/high school age as well. Probably makes some good college ap or resume material; that you spent your summer vacation working in a different country,

 

[Kerovick]

At my resort you have to be 18 to operate a lift.

I work as a liftie at a PA resort and have to tell you, during the job fair at my resort they hire EVERYBODY that applies for lifie that is elegable and still have to bring in Brazilians to flesh out the schedule.

I do not work at a large mountiain at all locals just don't want seasonal outside work. Lucky for me cause I do (want my free lift ticket). The $7 an hour I made last year paid for gas and that was it.

This year I moved and am now 5 mins from my mountain, gonna be alot more days this year!

 

[billski]

Perhaps at the bigger resorts this is the case. But I go entire seasons without seeing anything but local lifties, often times guys born right around the corner that have worked seasonal jobs all their lives.

+1

For the real deal in lifites, check out Black, NH. They don't know a Bogner from a Marker, but they can chop a cord of wood in an hour, fix their rusted truck, build a camp, bag a moose, cook a nasty chili, have the same coat since 1990 and fix anything that's broke using only duct tape.
:beer: