Effective this autumn, if you are not fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or qualify for a narrow exception, you will be terminated from your position at United Airlines. It’s a bold move, but one the carrier says is about safety and protecting its employees from harm.
COVID-19 Vaccine Now Mandatory At United Airlines
In a memo to employees reviewed by Live and Let’s Fly, United CEO Scott Kirby and President Brett Hart lay out the stakes:
Over the last nine months though, we have learned a lot about this disease, including how vaccines are – by far – the most effective way to protect people from COVID-19. In fact, we know now that an unvaccinated person is about 50 times more likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19 than a vaccinated person and nearly 300 times more likely to die.
Those stats are incredibly compelling and led us to an important decision about your safety: This fall, every U.S.-based United employee will be required to receive a COVID-19 vaccine…
That can be summed up in one sentence: get the vaccination now or you will be fired.
All U.S. United employees will be required to upload a vaccine card showing they have received two shots of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or one dose of the Johnson&Johnson vaccine in two scenarios:
- Five weeks after the FDA has announced it has fully approved a COVID-19 vaccine
- Five weeks after September 20, 2021
That means that by October 25, 2021 (and potentially before) all United Airlines employees based in the United States must submit proof of vaccination or they will be fired.
There will be two narrow exceptions. A United spokesperson confirmed:
We’ll have a very narrow reasonable accommodation process (as required by law) for religious and medical exemptions.
The precise details were not outlined, though each case will be carefully evaluated.
United address skeptics in the employee memo:
We know some of you will disagree with this decision to require the vaccine for all United employees. But, we have no greater responsibility to you and your colleagues than to ensure your safety when you’re at work, and the facts are crystal clear: everyone is safer when everyone is vaccinated.
Over the last 16 months, Scott has sent dozens of condolences letters to the family members of United employees who have died from COVID-19. We’re determined to do everything we can to try to keep another United family from receiving that letter.
United frames its entire defense of this new policy around safety, noting it is a pillar of the carrier’s core4 model and fundamental to compassionately caring for employees, many of whom go home to unvaccinated children each night.
To incentivize quicker action, all employees who upload proof of vaccination on or before September 20, 2021 will receive an extra day’s pay. Flight attendants and pilots will not be part of that bonus offer, having already received more lucrative incentives negotiated by their respective unions.
United estimates that 90% of pilots and 80% of flight attendants are currently vaccinated, but does not have a solid handle on what percentage of its roughly 80,000+ employees are indeed vaccinated.
Vaccination cards issued from the CDC are easily counterfeited and can be manipulated. While United points out it is hardly alone in dealing with potential forgery issues, it hinted that new technology is under evaluation that can better detect forgeries.
The new rules employee only to United Airlines employees, not contractors including United Express pilots and flight attendants.
CONCLUSION
United’s move is a bold step – a step that Kirby hinted at earlier this year and has now followed through on. United now joins a growing list of companies that have mandated employees be vaccinated for COVID-19, but becomes the first major U.S. airline to make this move.
> Read More: Will United Airlines Offer Vaccine-Only Sections Onboard?
Completely agree with this move. As someone with anxiety greatly exacerbated by the pandemic, waking up to this news was a very welcome start to my day. Actually, I’d agree with a move requiring all CUSTOMERS to be vaccinated as well. There is a highly contagious variant spreading, and not being vaccinated right now is so incredibly dangerous, not to mention putting our liberty at grave risk.
Forcing others to do as you believe is the true liberty risk. This is insanity. I’m vaccinated and could care less what others do. If you want to take the risk, go for it. The whole point of vaccination is self protection. People have lost their damn minds!
My health is none of your damn business. Who made you king to demand my health records to either work for United or fly on the plane? Next is proof I don’t have HIV? I don’t have MONO? Every slippery slope argument in this pandemic has proven to be true. Enough!
Weak response. The point of the vaccine is not only to protect oneself but to reduce the spread of the virus, protect others, and return commerce back to pre-pandemic norms.
When it affects others, we have a right to know. This pandemic affects the entire globe. We have a right to know that when we walk in a room, we are walking into a room with immunized people who we will not make seriously ill.
Proud of you, UNITED!!!
I am fully vaccinated but in the land of lawsuit and liability, I side with Ed Bastian here:
“It’s very difficult for us to come in and mandate a vaccine that isn’t even federally approved yet, the authorization hasn’t been final yet, so stay tuned,” he said.
What about those who already had covid, have the antibodies, the antibodies the vaccines attempt to mimic?
This!
Coming soon: The 5 Best Ways to Get COVID Antibodies without a Vaccine
Coming soon: the top 5 anti-vaxxin’ DeSantis rally bars in Ft. Myers
Because even for those who have already had Covid, the vaccine provides a strong additional boost in protection. You have safe and free access to additional immunity, so the CDC (and WHO) recommend post-recovery vaccination.
There are people who have had Covid multiple times, and the new variant has proven to be more contagious than previous versions. Antibodies do not provide the protection (through either less chance of contracting Covid or more minor symptoms if you do) the vaccine does.
I’ve worked at United for over 30 years at O’hare and I can’t remember another time that I have been so happy to see a company directive.
I can’t wait for the “I’m not taking s&&t crowd or I’m going to sue United, or I’m quitting” people to throw a fit … good luck to all of them,
United has 7 floors full of lawyers and unlimited funds sitting at Willis tower in downtown Chicago to take on any of them. They have dotted their i’s and crossed their t’s on this before releasing this directive this morning.
Will any lawyer take up a case vs. United ?? Of course they will … and they will milk anyone out of their cash doing so, just to say sorry we lost your case and now you are broke !!
Good luck to all … but for a change this is welcomed by the great majority of us at O’Hare.
Agreed. Your comment is spot on!! If they don’t like it, they can shove it!! Besides, this is what you call LEADERSHIP!! Bring the fight on, you antivaxxer fucks! The King Kobra is ready and waiting!
Make air travel a mandatory jab jab event. I agree with that. But I also want some tangible benefit. No more masks on board would do nicely.
Actually, I’m in agreement with you. I am very pro vaccine, and anti mask at this stage. I wore masks during the pandemic, but when people can receive immunizations enough is enough.
Kudos to Scott Kirby. You are greatly missed at AA.
Well please take him back . I believe he was fired when he couldn’t get his way and then turned to United as most do. Sad that you all are so pro people losing their job during a time like this . How about that same man you missed also had all his employees still reporting to work ( not those who don’t sweat) and COVID was knocking folks out in departments they were instructing folks not to discuss , he also as always since he likes being the first at everything , started to encourage folks to take VSP COLA to save the company and then kicked them to the curb by misinformation while collecting PPP which he still gets . Whether or not you all want to believe science or whoever ; it’s still peoples rights to their body . Front line workers were just those when all of you who have so much to say might have been lucky to not outdoors unless you wanted . If they wanted off they had to use leave or come in with no PPE until aug 2020 We have become such a nasty society promoting nasty behaviors and rhetoric and it’s sad. Scott Kirby is smart for his and shareholders gain but if they violate rights by doing it , 7 floors of lawyers is fine but truth is truth . Be kind , be understanding , everyone who isn’t vax isn’t anti vax
Require the same for passengers and then drop the mask mandate
Please provide evidence of your accusation that “Vaccination cards issued from the CDC are easily counterfeited and can be manipulated.”
When will United order its fat employees to lose weight? And for all those who are happy fascists and agree with these mandates, obesity can be considered socially contagious. How many times do I need to post links to studies showing this? If you want to force people to act for the “common good,” a lot more good would come from banning fat people. There oughta be a law. Laws and mandates work. Follow the science.
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2021/04/obesity-studies-highlight-severe-covid-outcomes-even-young-adults
‘The authors noted that even a small increase in BMI over 23 kg/m2 increased the risk of poor COVID-19 outcomes. “People with excess weight, even without other comorbidities, are at substantially increased risk of admission to hospital and ICU and death due to COVID-19, especially for younger adults and Black people,” they wrote.
‘”Excess weight is a modifiable risk factor, and investment in the treatment of overweight and obesity and long-term preventive strategies could help reduce the severity of COVID-19 disease.”‘
https://www.ajmc.com/view/kaiser-severe-obesity-boosts-risk-of-covid-19-death-especially-for-the-young
“Data from the 6916 patients in the study show that compared with those at normal body mass index (BMI) of 18.5 to 24 kg/m2, the risk of death more than doubled for patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 to 44 kg/m2 (relative risk of 2.68; 95% CI, 1.43 to 5.04) and nearly doubled again for those with a BMI of 45 kg/m2 (relative risk of 4.18; 95% CI, 2.12 to 8.26).”
https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n623
“Covid-19 death rates are 10 times higher in countries where more than half of the adult population is classified as overweight, a comprehensive report from the World Obesity Federation has found.”
Anti-vaxxer, going to go fly another airline now (maybe Spirit)? Your eternal obesity obfuscation is pretty amusing.
Keep outrunning Delta…125K cases today and continuing to rise. Obesity isn’t contagious btw, chump.
Obfuscation? That you deny obesity is a YUGE factor complicating the pandemic shows how disingenuous and/or ignorant you are. Also, people who are getting infected are largely unvaccinated, so why do you even care? Don’t you wish death upon them? Especially black folx? What are black vaccination rates like, I wonder? Never, ever address the issues I raise. Just keep spewing hate and ignorance and hoping that I die. I’ll be chillaxing on a rooftop, maskless and unvaccinated, against Warren Wilhelm’s wishes. I’ll be flying across the Atlantic next week. I don’t think Spirit offers TATL routes yet, but I’m sure you’ll be “fired up” for it if they ever do. U mad, bro?
Is obesity an issue? Sure. Of course, it’s not contagious.
Bigger issue – anti-science, anti-vaxxers such as yourself that are leading to the 125K cases/day spike today (probably hitting 200K in a week or so). And 95+% of those hospitalized or dying right now are anti-vaxxers, like yourself.
Have fun outrunning Delta, anti-vaxxer! And don’t bother trying to get into the UK, anti-vaxxers such as yourself aren’t welcome. Hope you got a good deal on airfare too, as clearly no sane OPM supplier is going to fund int’l travel for an anti-vaxxing, insurrection-supporter such as yourself.
Yet again, UA-TDS is being obtuse and disingenuous. There is no way he as not seen the numerous studies I have posted about that describe obesity as socially contagious. The Harvard one was just the first.
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2007/07/obesity-is-contagious/
How am I anti-science? Science, science, science! Has UA-TDS ever actually read any studies about these issues? It seems pretty obvious he just parrots DNC talking points. There are ZERO RCTs demonstrating the effectiveness of mask mandates. If you wish death upon people who haven’t or won’t get vaccinated (a high proportion of BIPOC folx fit this description, white supremacist), why do you keep beating this drum about getting the “jab?”
I can afford to fund my own international travel. I don’t have to get shipped around flying on OPM on the orders of a corporate overlord to make 1K, OPM tough guy. “Fired up” for a work trip to London? I’ve already been there several times during the pandemic. Unvaccinated! Keep humping boxes in your basement until your work-ordered trip into a Delta-infested hellhole. Scary! Mask up! Why are you even flying? Literal murderer! Of course, UA-TDS like to use the scare tactic of talking about cases instead of actual deaths. Look at the death rates in the UK with Delta. Also, look at how few young people have died throughout the pandemic. But think of the children! It’s literal murder to have teachers go back to classrooms! Who do you think you’re fooling besides other brainless collectivists?
TWA John,
All problems eventually correct themselves. Like Entropy and Gravity laws you can try but in the end these laws always win.
I can retire and
use my time for other ventures. Vaxers who push their death cult on others will get, in the end, exactly what they deserve.
Do you trust the Government? Do you trust big Pharma? Do you trust MSM? Do you trust Big Tech?
I am glad that I don’t work for UA. My vaccine status is a personal and private matter with my doctor and is NOBODY else’s business. That previous sentence is what I think EVERYONE, vaxxed and unvaxxed should say when asked about their vaccine status. But I guess that answer would earn a pink slip at UA.
Those employees who either choose not to get the vaccine or choose not to disclose their vaccine status ought not to resign (unless they can get another suitable job lined up beforehand) but should make UA terminate them and then they would be eligible for unemployment compensation.
If UA contests any claim for unemployment the terminated employees ought to say they never agreed to get a vaccine or disclose their vaccine status to UA when they were hired and it was UA that changed the conditions of employment and is therefore the moving party and as a result refusal to get the vaccine and/or refusal to disclose personal medical information (such as vaccine status) should not be classified as misconduct.
Disclaimer: I am not an attorney and the above does not constitute legal advice.
Matthew, since you are an attorney and I’m not would you care to share your thoughts about what I wrote regarding unemployment?