COVID vaccination requirement in the airline industry is becoming the norm. Delta Air Lines, for instance, imposed a vaccination requirement on new employees. Recently, pilot unions react to two US airlines announcing mandatory COVID vaccination on their employees. United Airlines announced on Friday that their 67,000 employees must complete their COVID vaccination by October 25. That’s five weeks after the Food and Drug Administration giving full approval on COVID vaccines.
In a statement by United Master Executive Council, the union representing the airline’s pilots, “The vaccine requirement represents an employment change we believe warrants further negotiations to ensure our safety, welfare, and bargaining rights maintained”.
United and Frontier’s Mandatory COVID Vaccination
In May, United and its pilots had a deal that would prohibit the airline from imposing mandatory COVID vaccination. But last week, airline officials cited that there’s “incredible compelling” proof on the efficacy of vaccines. United’s CEO Scott Kirby said that “We know some of you will disagree with this decision to require the vaccine for all United employees”. Kirby added that “we have no greater responsibility to you and your colleagues than to ensure your safety”. He also said that “the facts are crystal clear: everyone is safer when everyone is vaccinated”.
While United requires mandatory COVID vaccination, Frontier has a different approach. Frontier announced a vaccination deadline for their employees. Frontier employees need to complete their COVID vaccination on or before October 1. However, even if it isn’t mandatory, unvaccinated employees can still work but will need to provide a negative COVID19 test.
Frontier Master Executive Council, the group representing Frontier pilots, said that it is going to talk with Frontier officials to know how the policy is going to get implemented. The union said that “The Association plans to meet with the Company to discuss the contractual implications of the new protocols”. They added that “as the implementation of the guidelines will need to align within the constraints of our CBA in order to prevent contractual disputes”.
Frontier’s president and CEO Barry Biffle mentioned the alarming delta cases is the reason for this recent policy. He said that “I am concerned for the well-being of our team members, their families and friends”. He added that “Safety is of the utmost importance at Frontier”.
