« Previous Story |
The Industry Report Home Page
| Next Story »
Tremblant Strike Forces Freestyle Venue Switch; Chamber Plugs Non-ski Fun
By
December 26, 2005
The strike at Mt. Tremblant Resort in Canada has forced a change of venue for Freestyle Grand Prix scheduled for Jan. 6-8. The Intrawest resort announced last week that it could not host the event because "there have been major delays in preparing the competition site."
The FIS event was moved to nearby Ski Mont-Gabriel.
While Mt. Tremblant Resort contacted guests scheduled to visit during the huge Christmas/New Years period to offer possible alternatives, the Mont-Tremblant Chamber of Commerce and Tourisme Mont-Tremblant attempted to hold on to visitors by pointing out that the two other local hills, Gray Rocks and Mont Blanc, and their ski schools were eager for skiers and riders.
The tourism offices also put in a big pitch for Tremblant's non-alpine attractions, from cross country skiing and snowshoeing to the numerous restaurants, bars and shops as reasons for coming to the Laurentians for the holidays regardless.
Marc Lamoureux, president of the Chamber, plugged the nonunionized activities in the region including the rustic original town, Old Tremblant, and said fully half the lodging units at the resort itself and all of those outside it were not affected by the walkout.
"Mont-Tremblant is open for business," he declared.
About 40 percent of 1,500 unionized personnel at the Intrawest property, including both on- and off-hill workers, struck Dec. 17, demanding a 15 percent pay increase over three years. Management, in rejecting the initial demands, said that Tremblant workers were "by far the best compensated in the ski industry." Hourly wages currently average $13.90 CAD (approximately $11.92 US) an hour, according to press reports.
No other Intrawest resort is unionized, and none of its other resorts were affected by the strike, Tim McNulty, Intrawest's investor relations director in Vancouver, told Industry Report.
The hotel and recreation industry sector of the union, Confederation des Syndicats Nationaux (CSN) has over 9,000 members throughout Quebec. The parent union includes nurses, public employees and construction workers.
During the strike, management personnel struggled to keep two lifts and limited other services operating. As this issue of Industry Report went to press, the strike was still on.
« Previous Story |
The Industry Report Home Page
| Next Story » |
Email To A Friend
|
