SAM Magazine—Newry, Maine, Feb. 20, 2025—The paid ski patrollers at Sunday River took steps to unionize on Monday, filing a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to hold a union election. If successful, they would become the first unionized ski patrol in the East.

More than 70 percent of the eligible patrollers signed the petition. They aim to join the Communications Workers of America Local 7781 – United Mountain Workers, which currently represents about 1,100 ski patrollers and lift maintenance personnel across the western U.S.

In a statement, the Sunday River Patrol Union said its goal is to create “a sustainable workplace that guarantees fair compensation, safe working conditions and professional development.

“We love our work in the mountains of western Maine,” the statement continued. “With our union effort, we are asking Sunday River and Boyne Resorts to invest in us so that we can continue to perform our jobs at the highest level.”

Sunday River general manager Brian Heon responded to the filing with a statement expressing respect for the organizing process. “We respect our team members' right to participate in the union organization process,” he said. “Our commitment to an open dialogue and fostering a workplace built on kindness, respect and professionalism remains unchanged during this process. We are confident our team will continue to support one another because we all share the common goal of caring for our team, our guests and our resort.”

A union vote, which the NLRB will oversee, is expected to take place later this winter.

Sunday River’s ski patrollers provide medical care, hazard mitigation, terrain management, and guest services across the resort’s eight peaks and more than 800 acres of terrain.