Mt. Snow cracks down on opposition to employment policy

[Mapnut]

http://dvalnews.com/view/full_story...work-due-to-Facebook-posts?instance=news_page

Bad PR if you ask me - picking on a musician who posted constructive criticism (IMO).

Thanks to photogf128 who first posted this at Snowjournal.

 

[marcski]

You really don't like Peaks' mgt do you, Mapnut...at least with regard to this issue.

 

[mlctvt]

You'd better not say anything or they may take away your seasons pass .

I agree this is very bad policy and it borders on illegal. Very bad PR. It definately changes my opinion of the company.

 

[ScottySkis]

You'd better not say anything or they may take away your seasons pass .

I agree this is very bad policy and it borders on illegal. Very bad PR. It definately changes my opinion of the company.

I don't like the sound of this, but I don't think it is illegal.

 

[mlctvt]

I don't like the sound of this, but I don't think it is illegal.

I don't know can you change conditions of employment after the fact? The courts may not agree. I know several people who work as volunteers at Mount Snow and Haystack. I wonder where they will be working next year?

 

[AdironRider]

I don't know can you change conditions of employment after the fact? The courts may not agree. I know several people who work as volunteers at Mount Snow and Haystack. I wonder where they will be working next year?

You most definitely can. This issue makes little sense to me. From a payroll standpoint and as an accountant in the ski industry, Haystack was clearly trying to poach and save labor costs by getting people already trained. Not a huge deal, but that saves thousands of dollars per employee. Plenty of other industries make you sign non-competes, this is no different. Think of it as if it were your business. Would you feel ok that you were fronting all the training costs, just to have the resort next door come in and offer 50 cents more an hour or what have you and lose that employee?

 

[abc]

Think of it as if it were your business. Would you feel ok that you were fronting all the training costs, just to have the resort next door come in and offer 50 cents more an hour or what have you and lose that employee?

You can offer 50 cents more an hour and keep them there!

Plenty of other industries make you sign non-competes, this is no different.

That's correct. However, where's the "competition"?

That's why many industry also ALLOW their employee to work a second job doing the same thing with another company, especially when the company couldn't offer full time hours.

Reading the story, on the face, he takes his chance to publicly criticise Mt. Snow. If you're going to bite the hand that feed you, you take full risk of that hand being withdrown, which is basically what happened.

Does that put Mt. Snow in the best light? Absolutely not. But scotty got it right, there's nothing illegal about it. Just bad PR.

 

[Mapnut]

You really don't like Peaks' mgt do you, Mapnut...at least with regard to this issue.

I like musicians.

 

[drjeff]

I don't know can you change conditions of employment after the fact? The courts may not agree. I know several people who work as volunteers at Mount Snow and Haystack. I wonder where they will be working next year?

Granted, I really like Colby's music A LOT! And hear him 15-20 times a season on Friday evenings and Saturday PM's up in The Station Taproom, but he ISN'T a Mount Snow employee! He's an independent contractor who they hire on a per diem basis!

Based on his thought out, and agreed dual perspective social media comments, they, Mount Snow, chose not to hire him at least for any of their usually limited summer music gigs, and they are 100% within their right to do so

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[marcski]

Even if he was an employee, unless you have a written employment contract, you can be fired if one day the boss decided he didn't like Colby's music anymore.

 

[Mapnut]

So who's saying they don't have the right to fire him? I just say it stinks.

 

[Rogman]

Having the right doesn't make it right. It's wrong when big companies use their economic weight to try to crush the little guy. However, Mt. Snow obviously failed social media 101. The internet is a great equalizer.

Non-competes are sometimes necessary when proprietary information or special training is involved. You don't want skilled personnel that you've invested time and information into jumping ship for your competitor(s). However, when applied to low paid or minimum wage workers, that's an abuse of power. Not hiring private contractors because they also work for their competitors is silly and petty. They should hold themselves to higher standards.

Our ski club ran a bus trip there this past season. The conditions were good, the people were nice. Everyone had a great time (including myself). I'm running next year's trip committee. I'll quietly put the kibosh on any suggestions of a return. A big deal? No. Won't affect them, won't affect our club, plenty 'o fish. Hey, I can be petty, too.

 

[drjeff]

Having the right doesn't make it right. It's wrong when big companies use their economic weight to try to crush the little guy. However, Mt. Snow obviously failed social media 101. The internet is a great equalizer.

Non-competes are sometimes necessary when proprietary information or special training is involved. You don't want skilled personnel that you've invested time and information into jumping ship for your competitor(s). However, when applied to low paid or minimum wage workers, that's an abuse of power. Not hiring private contractors because they also work for their competitors is silly and petty. They should hold themselves to higher standards.

Our ski club ran a bus trip there this past season. The conditions were good, the people were nice. Everyone had a great time (including myself). I'm running next year's trip committee. I'll quietly put the kibosh on any suggestions of a return. A big deal? No. Won't affect them, won't affect our club, plenty 'o fish. Hey, I can be petty, too.

2 things - #1 Colby Dix is an independent contractor, not a Mount Snow employee. (I will readily admit to enjoying his music as I get to hear him 15-20 times per season when he's playing up in the Station Taproom on the 2nd floor of the base lodge on Friday evenings and Saturday PM) Mount Snow's decision to not employ him in the future I guarantee wasn't easy to make as Colby has a very active and prominent presence in the Deerfield Valley both as a musician and in the business community. Plus one of his sometimes band mates is one of Mount Snow's web design/ IT guys. He made some statements, and as thought out as they were, Mount Snow management didn't like them and that's their call (there's a bunch of back story of the entire Haystack - Mount Snow employment issue that isn't really being mentioned that has Haystack not exactly cast in the best business practice light either

Plus, this is off season up in the Deerfield Valley - Mount Snow doesn't employ him very often in the summer as the majority of the venues he plays at Mount Snow in the ski season aren't open in summer - in the summer, Colby typically plays non Mount Snow owned venues in the Valley. Come winter, if the choice to not employ him is still in effect, the locals will know, but a majority of the masses likely won't. My guess is that Colby will be playing more at Haystack's Hermitage Inn and if its completed, their base lodge

#2 - as for your choice not to run a club trip to Mount Snow next year - might you loose some business from club members who not just enjoyed the mountain, but also the uniqueness of the Bluebird Express?

Last big point - why is it always seemingly if a company does/says something that is perceived by some as "bad" that the company is the issue, whereas if an "employee" says/does something bad about the company its not met with a similar amount of attention?

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[Angus]

on another ski forum, this whole policy was discussed (polite description) a few months ago. seems that mt. snow first widely broadcast to their workforce this employment rule and is now strictly enforcing it. seems like a lot of locals who live by seasonal employment and/or work two jobs at each resort concurrently are really getting squeezed. definitely making mt. snow/peaks look silly IMO. there must be some sort of back story here.

 

[drjeff]

on another ski forum, this whole policy was discussed (polite description) a few months ago. seems that mt. snow first widely broadcast to their workforce this employment rule and is now strictly enforcing it. seems like a lot of locals who live by seasonal employment and/or work two jobs at each resort concurrently are really getting squeezed. definitely making mt. snow/peaks look silly IMO. there must be some sort of back story here.

Haystack has put forth a policy where they'd write out a check for 2 grand to any of their employees who "recruits" a new member to join.

There are plenty of Mount Snow employees who know their customers as friends, not just as customers. If those employees are working at both mountains, and know of someone who might be interested in joining the Haystack Club and has the resources to do so, that recomendation coming from a friend, and not just a sales person who you met a few hours ago, obviously makes much more of an impression on a potential member.

Mount Snow wants to retain these families, who generally either directly spend a good deal of $$ every year or indirectly spend a good deal of $$ at Mount Snow by bringing other friends and family up, just as much as Haystack wants these families and their $$.

I'd bet that if Haystack didn't put the "financial bounty" on new members, that this wouldn't be an issue, especially since Haystack NEEDS some of these employees and their skill sets that had been working at both resorts, let alone more new members

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[bobbutts]

Haystack has put forth a policy where they'd write out a check for 2 grand to any of their employees who "recruits" a new member to join.

There are plenty of Mount Snow employees who know their customers as friends, not just as customers. If those employees are working at both mountains, and know of someone who might be interested in joining the Haystack Club and has the resources to do so, that recomendation coming from a friend, and not just a sales person who you met a few hours ago, obviously makes much more of an impression on a potential member.

Mount Snow wants to retain these families, who generally either directly spend a good deal of $$ every year or indirectly spend a good deal of $$ at Mount Snow by bringing other friends and family up, just as much as Haystack wants these families and their $$.

I'd bet that if Haystack didn't put the "financial bounty" on new members, that this wouldn't be an issue, especially since Haystack NEEDS some of these employees and their skill sets that had been working at both resorts, let alone more new members

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wow, you typed all that out on a DROID RAZR? that's dedication

 

[deadheadskier]

:lol:

 

[Newpylong]

You'd better not say anything or they may take away your seasons pass .

I agree this is very bad policy and it borders on illegal. Very bad PR. It definately changes my opinion of the company.

I don't agree with it, but it's certainly not illegal or borderline illegal lol.

 

[drjeff]

wow, you typed all that out on a DROID RAZR? that's dedication

It's amazing what you can do as you're sitting on the sideline of a soccer field during your kid's 30 minute pregame warm-up/practice! ;-)

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[Tin Woodsman]

Stop the presses, Dr. Jeff reflexively defending Mt Snow. Whoda thunk it?