Those Who Show Proof Of Vaccination By September 20th Will Be Compensated

OK… you knew this was coming… 

An expected new mandate is requiring all active United Airlines employees, including flight crews, in the United States to be vaccinated by October 25th , or five weeks after FDA approval of the vaccine, depending on which date arrives first. Those who show proof of vaccination by September 20th will be compensated with an extra day of pay.

Since June, all new hires have been required to get the vaccine, echoing a Delta airlines policy that was announced mid-May. United is the first major airline to announce this mandate for the entirety of their 67,000 active workers inside the United States, which represent over 75% of the company’s worldwide employees. 

“We know some of you will disagree with this decision to require the vaccine for all United employees”, Chief Executive Scott Kirby (pictured) and President Brett Hart said in memo to employees Friday. 

“But we have no greater responsibility to you and your colleagues than to ensure your safety while you’re at work, and the facts are crystal clear: everyone is safer when everyone is vaccinated.”

The memo also said that it’s likely there will be an earlier deadline for the vaccination, due to media reports on FDA approval. In the upcoming weeks, the company will be holding meetings to answer any questions from their employees. 

The Air Line Pilots Association informed its membership that the “employer mandate would be determined to be lawful,” despite a “small number” of pilots disagreeing with the new policy. 

American Airlines will not require vaccinations for their employees at this time. Doug Parker, the CEO of American Airlines told the New York Times that he favors incentives, “but we’re not putting mandates in place.” 

Pilots who will remain unvaccinated for medical or religious reasons were told to contact their supervisors for more information on how to proceed. 

FMI: www.united.com, www.cdc.gov