Home By Marquel Sherpas Move to Shut Everest in Labor Fight. Everest on strike!

Sherpas Move to Shut Everest in Labor Fight. Everest on strike!

The New York Times alerted all workers of the world: Sherpas Move to Shut Everest in Labor Fight. Marquel, himself a worker and TPVs Times Mountain Labor correspondent, addded: Sherpas set up picket line. Nobody sees it. Big mountain, small population, Sherpas face large labor difficulties.
The latest tragedy on Everest killed 15 Sherpas, the local inhabitants who guide, and sometimes carry, the western climbers who pay tens of thousands of dollars to climb the world’s highest mountain.

With such a large area, the Sherpas were hard pressed to find a place for a picket line. To block off the entire mountain would Span several hundred miles. At first the Sherpas just marched around a local house but that looked and felt silly. Then they picketed the local McDonald’s where the visibility was much better but soon they were hungry, buying big Macs, and shuffling around inside the restaurant in a makeshift labor demonstration.

Marquel, who by coincidence, was ascending Everest this week, abandoned his climb and ran down the mountain to get his story.

“Yes,” said one Sherpa, “the geography isn’t conducive to a picket line. We don’t have a factory, we have a mountain. The difference in scale is profound.”

“The picket line,” I remarked, “isn’t nearly as important as your strategy. What are your plans?”

“Better pay, better insurance, survivors benefits, and respect. That’s what we all agreed at the meeting.” Said the Sherpa.

“What’s this about respect, though?” I asked, “how will you handle it. And measure it?”

“We think the term ‘Sherpa‘ is racist. If 15 mountaineering technicians from England had been killed, they would have been carried down with respect. Our brothers were lifted by giant cranes as if they were discarded garbage.” He answered.

“So what do you want to be called?” I asked.

“”Anything but Sherpas. We are high tech mountaineering consultants. We should be called that.” He answered.

“Okay. They change your name. But all the other issues involve money. How will you handle that?” I asked. “Do you have any leverage?”

“We close the mountain.” He answered.

“Then what?” I asked.

“We’re exploring possibilities. Disneyland has discussed the possibility that we will guide tourists up Sky Mountain  in Orlando.” He said.

“You would do that?” I asked.

“Actually we’re worried we’ll be exploited wherever we work. The ears would interfere with our work.”

“What ears?” I asked.

“Mickey mouse ears. They want us all to wear them as employees of Disneyland. We think self employment is the answer.”

“Meaning?” I asked.

“We’re looking for an ascent that’s easy for tourists, that’s in an area with a large potential population of climbers, and where there’s money.” He answered.

I said, “that sounds like New York to me.”

“Exactly!” He said. “Do you know much about it?”

“Shit,” I said in Sherpa, “it’s my home town.”

“What a gift from Buddha,” he said. “Did you ever hear of van Cortland park?” He asked.

“Of course, it’s up by the Bronx,” I remarked, “a very big park with a small hill where people actually used to ski! You wouldn’t be thinking of…”

“It has all the advantages that Everest doesn’t,” said my little musclebound Sherpa, “we set up our tents in the park, put up our Everest training sign, set up our picket line downtown at the Nepal consulate , and advertise on 42nd St like the tour buses do. We’ll make good money and picket effectively. Meanwhile Everest is shut down until we return.”

“How are you going to make that 200 foot hill into a training mountain?” I asked.

“First, we run.” He answered, “then we do several circuits, probably ten times, and in full gear including oxygen tanks.”

“You think you can do that?” I asked. 

“With your help,” he said.

“Me?” I questioned, imagining myself carrying their equipment up and down. While running. no way. “What can I do?”

“Publicity.”

“You got it. You’re in the Pothole, dude.” We hugged. I tried rubbing noses. Wrong culture. We bid adieu

***

Planning your Everest trip? Ask Marquel for tips @MarquelatTPV.

TPVs CORRESPONDENT
Sherpas Move to Shut Everest in Labor Fight. Everest on strike!

7 COMMENTS

  1. loved it:

    At first the Sherpas just marched around a local house but that looked and felt silly. Then they picketed the local McDonald’s where the visibility was much better but soon they were hungry, buying big Macs, and shuffling around inside the restaurant in a makeshift labor demonstration.

  2. “We’re exploring possibilities. Disneyland has discussed the possibility that we will guide tourists up Sky Mountain  in Orlando.

    That’s poetic. In a way that escapes me. Bravo Marquel. I love you, Man. You rock

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