Time Machine: 50 years ago, Vail employees reject unionization

Vail Trail/Vail Daily archive
30 years ago
Jan. 6, 1995
The town of Vail was considering canceling a World Cup mountain bike race scheduled for the upcoming summer because citizens’ downhill portion of the event was worrisome to some council members, the Vail Trail reported.
“I do not feel it is appropriate for the town of Vail to be sponsoring an event that does not have safety standards, qualification standards, and age standards which are appropriate for the speeds that kids will be going on bicycles,” said council member Merv Lapin. I don’t want the town’s name associated with something that could lead to a kid’s death.”
The National Off-Road Bicycling Association, the event’s sanctioning body, reacted critically to past attempts by Vail to increase safety standards of the event, the Trail reported.
Brian McCartney with Vail Resorts said that if Vail canceled the upcoming event, it would be difficult to draw future world cup races to the area.

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40 years ago
Jan. 4, 1985
Visits to Eagle County’s two wilderness areas were up dramatically in 1984 over 1983 year, the Vail Trail reported.
The number of visits to Holy Cross Wilderness jumped nearly 68 percent over 1983, and in the Eagles Nest Wilderness the increase was more than 80 percent.
Local Forest Service officials were unable to offer an explanation for the sudden increase, the Trail reported, quoting recreation specialist Larry Warren.
“It was really a surprise,” Warren said. “I don’t know if everyone had cabin fever and decided to get out. It kept our trail crew busy trying to keep ahead of them, clearing out the trees.”
50 years ago
Jan. 3, 1975
Vail Associates employees voted against joining the Oil, Chemical, and Atomic Workers union, the Vail Trail reported.
“We’re pleased that our employees expressed such confidence in their ability to deal directly with the company without outside union representation,” said Jim Bartlett, Vail Associates’ executive vice president.
Bartlett said that the company had held brief employee meetings prior to the election, telling employees that the company respected their judgment and wanted their vote.
“We’ll now continue to create one of the finest working environments to be found in a company of our size and type,” Bartlett stated.
Robert Brown, international representative for the union, expressed unhappiness over the vote.
“We were disappointed, to say the least,” said Brown, “especially since it takes a request by at least 30 percent of the employees just to hold an election … The rule of thumb is that you lose 10 percent of those who originally sign cards, but we lost a lot more than that.”
Brown blamed the union’s failure, in part, on the media image put forth, the Trail reported.
“There were a lot of comments in the papers to the effect that we wouldn’t be able to represent skiers and lift operators, but we actually represent many diverse groups of people,” Brown said.
Brown said that the company’s seasonal workers had played a large role in the election outcome.
“A lot of people came on the payroll in October,” he said. “When the winter is over they’ll be gone and they could care less … It’s a democratic society, though, and we’re a democratic union. We can live with it.”
60 years ago
Jan. 7, 1965
William David Ormsby-Gore, better known as Lord Harlech, visited Vail for a winter vacation, the Eagle Valley Enterprise reported.
Harlech was the British Ambassador to the United States, and came with his family via train.
“The village of Bond took on a moment of grandeur Saturday as Lord and Lady Harlech and three children stepped off the westbound California Zephyr on the way to Vail for a winter vacation,” the Enterprise reported. “The royal visitors told Enterprise reporter Gene Simpson they thoroughly enjoyed their first trip on the Rio Grande luxurious passenger train and were enthusiastic over the magnificent mountain scenery view from the Vista Dome.”