United Airlines Employees Granted Religious Exemption from COVID Vaccine Mandate Will Take Unpaid Leave

United Airlines announced a vaccine mandate for its 67,000 US employees last month. The carrier announced on Wednesday that it is going to offer religious and medical exemptions for its employees. However, there is a catch. Employees granted religious exemptions from COVID19 vaccination will have to take a temporary unpaid leave. Airline employees given medical exemptions will be on temporary medical leave.

This announcement applies to employees who interact with customers regularly. This includes their pilots, flight attendants, gate agents, and airport customer service agents. Employees granted religious exemption can still return to work “once the pandemic meaningfully recedes”.

Other employees such as mechanics and dispatchers allowed to skip vaccination under religious grounds have a slightly less strict protocol to follow. They can return to work once new testing and other measures are in place.

Unpaid Leave

United became the first US airline to issue a vaccine mandate. The carrier initially gave employees five weeks after the Pfizer vaccine was granted full approval or until October 25 to complete their COVID vaccine doses. But since the Pfizer vaccine had FDA’s full approval on August 23, United employees need to get vaccinated sooner. United’s employees will only have until September 27 to get their first shot.

United CEO Scott Kirby and President Brett Hart announced in an internal memo last month that “We have no greater responsibility to you and your colleagues than to ensure your safety when you’re at work”.

Different Approaches to Encourage Vaccination

US airlines announced different approaches to encourage vaccination among their employees. Delta, for instance, announced a $200 surcharge on unvaccinated employees’ health insurance premiums. In addition to this, Delta along with American Airlines and Alaska Airlines announced that they are no longer going to cover quarantine time for unvaccinated employees.

Three Alaska employees, including a pilot, died of COVID19 . These deaths triggered Alaska to find ways to encourage COVID19 vaccination among employees. Alaska announced that vaccinated employees will get a $200 incentive.