Republican Senator Ted Cruz praised Delta Air Lines for not having a vaccine mandate. According to Cruz, the airline had shown respect to its employees. In a tweet, he said that “Bravo to @Delta for having the courage to say no to the federal vaccine mandate”.
He also added that “It’s the right thing to do – to respect the right of their employees to make their own personal decisions about their own healthcare”.
The Biden administration’s new policy will compel federal contractors and large businesses to require vaccination among its employees. Major carriers such as United, American, Southwest, JetBlue, Alaska, and Hawaiian now have a vaccine mandate. The Biden administration even thanked United for being the first major carrier to require employees to get the COVID19 vaccine.
Delta: 90% Vaccinated Even Without a Vaccine Mandate
Delta Air Lines announced last week that that 90% of its employees are already vaccinated against COVID19. Unlike other airlines that will terminate unvaccinated employees, Delta came up with a different approach. Those who haven’t received the COVID19 vaccine will have to pay an additional $200 per month for insurance surcharge. And with this strategy, Bastian expects to see the carrier’s vaccination rate to climb to around 95% by early November.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian said that “We haven’t done it with a mandate”. He added that “We have done it working collaboratively with our people, trusting our people to make the right decisions for themselves”.
However, he also elaborated that the “spirit of the (federal) mandate was to get people vaccinated”. He added that “It wasn’t to try to force people with the threat of their jobs if companies are doing the right thing”.
Ted Cruz Tries to Push His Anti-Vaccine Agenda
When Southwest canceled around 2,000 flights, Ted Cruz carelessly pushed for misinformation online. He tweeted that “Joe Biden’s illegal vaccine mandate at work! Suddenly, we’re short on pilots & air traffic controllers”. The senator insinuated that pilots walked out resulting in Southwest’s flight cancelations during that weekend. Southwest and the pilots union later denied these speculations. Its incoming CEO Bob Jordan said that “There is absolutely no evidence of any kind of job action”.
