Southwest: We won't put unvaccinated workers on unpaid leave

3 years ago 321

DALLAS – Southwest Airlines volition fto unvaccinated employees support moving past aboriginal December alternatively of putting them connected unpaid permission if they use for an exemption connected aesculapian oregon spiritual grounds.

Federal contractors — including large U.S. airlines – look a Dec. 8 deadline to necessitate employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Southwest spokeswoman Brandy King said Tuesday that employees indispensable taxable impervious that they got the shots, oregon record a petition for an exemption from vaccination, by Nov. 24. Employees whose requests person not been processed oregon approved by Dec. 8 volition beryllium allowed to support working, she said.

The institution backtracked from a erstwhile presumption that employees who had not been vaccinated oregon received an exemption would beryllium enactment connected unpaid leave.

“While we mean to assistance each valid requests for accommodations, successful the lawsuit a petition is not granted, the institution volition supply capable clip for an worker to go afloat vaccinated portion continuing to enactment and adhering to information protocols,” King said.

Southwest notified employees of the deadline hold connected Friday.

American Airlines said Tuesday that workers who are granted aesculapian oregon spiritual exemptions volition astir apt person to deterioration look masks and acquisition regular testing, but the hose is inactive moving connected details.

“American volition not beryllium placing immoderate squad members connected unpaid permission arsenic portion of the national vaccine mandate,” said American Airlines spokesperson Matt Miller.

Southwest and American are some based successful Texas, wherever the Republican politician has ordered businesses not to require employees oregon customers to beryllium vaccinated. Both accidental they volition comply with President Joe Biden’s national mandate that contractors necessitate vaccination, which they judge has ineligible precedence implicit authorities orders.

Southwest Chairman and CEO Gary Kelly primitively said successful a connection that Southwest “must articulation our manufacture peers successful complying with the national government’s COVID-19 vaccination directive.”

In the days aft that statement, however, the pilots’ national asked a justice to temporarily artifact the order, saying Southwest should negociate with the national implicit the issue. A proceeding is scheduled Friday successful national court. This week, anti-mandate protesters demonstrated astatine the airline’s headquarters.

Kelly has indicated idiosyncratic reluctance astir the vaccine mandate.

“We are not going to occurrence immoderate employees implicit this,” helium told ABC-TV past week. “We are urging each our employees to get vaccinated. If they can’t get vaccinated, we’re urging them to question an accommodation.”

United Airlines, the archetypal U.S. bearer to denote a vaccine request for employees, has started termination proceedings against astir 200 employees who neither got the shots nor asked for an exemption.

Chicago-based United has 67,000 U.S. employees. It says 96% person been vaccinated and 3% — astir 2,000 employees — person applied for an exemption. United is waiting for a justice successful Texas to regularisation connected a suit by employees challenging the airline's determination to enactment employees connected unpaid permission if they get an exemption.

Delta Air Lines Inc. has a little stringent policy. Even though it is simply a national contractor, Delta says it volition fto workers acquisition regular investigating if they don't privation to beryllium vaccinated, but they look a $200 monthly surcharge connected their wellness insurance. CEO Ed Bastian said past week that 90% of Delta employees are vaccinated and helium expects that fig to scope 95% successful November.

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