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United Airlines recently informed all its employees that they must be fully vaccinated by October 25th. Employees wishing to be exempted for medical or religious reasons will be carefully considered before their request is granted.
If their religiously-based vaccination exemption request is denied, they are required to get vaccinated within 5 weeks of receiving the denial and must receive their first dose before September 27th, otherwise their contract will be terminated by the company.
The company's employee notice stated: "With our focus on safety, and in light of the increasing number of Covid-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths, all employees requesting leave will be granted and placed on temporary unpaid leave starting October 2nd while we implement specific safety measures for those who have not been vaccinated."
United Airlines is concerned that interactions between unvaccinated employees, due to religious reasons, could affect its customers and other vaccinated employees. - Photo: Internet
United Airlines added that decisions on whether to accept an employee's religious reasons will be made on a case-by-case basis. “We are working hard to ensure the safety of our employees and customers, and we accept dedicated employees with religious beliefs.”
United employees who are placed on unpaid leave will not receive other benefits such as health insurance, although they may maintain coverage by paying the full cost themselves. They may still retain their seniority with the company during their unpaid leave.
Leslie Scott, a spokesperson for United, added that company employees who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons will be placed on sick leave, depending on the details of their contract and which may include pay. Employees such as mechanics and air traffic controllers are exempt from vaccination and may return to work after the airline conducts trials of new safety measures.
