Letter from S. Voynic & L. La Rocca
Vail sale – March 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine
Vail Trust may be `Sacred,’ But is it Responsible?
Editors:
We were touched by the Vail Resorts’ full-page ad, titled “A Sacred Trust,” which appeared in regional newspapers Jan. 7. Vail Resorts’grand plans seem to include “improved facilities and an improved network of high-speed lifts, interchangeable lift tickets, and innovative marketing programs,” and all the other gimmicks designed to squeeze more money out of skiers. We note that social responsibility, however, does not seem to be a part of the Sacred Trust.
Mr. Aron and Mr. Daly, Vail Resorts’ CEO and president, respectively, state that “Our employees are Coloradans.” We know you’d be surprised, gentlemen, to learn that many of your employees are actually seasonal transients, a good number of whom are undocumented.
Most of these low-paid employees cannot afford to live in Eagle and Summit counties where the Sacred Trust resorts are located. They live in places like Lake County, where they create an enormous burden on social services, law enforcement, and educational and medical facilities.
We wonder if Mr. Aron and Mr. Daly would care to place some full-page ads outlining their plans to fulfill their social responsibilities, which might include,providing affordable, Vail Resort-subsidized, employee housing. But then the Eagle and Summit county schools, cops, social services, and hospitals would pick up the tab, and that might not fit into the Sacred Trust.
When any company has 8,000 employees, as Aron and Daly boast, its responsibility and conscience should extend beyond simply making more money.
Steve Voynick
Lynda La Rocca
Leadville