First, it required all employees to get vaccinated. Now, United Airlines is putting staff granted religious exemption on indefinite unpaid leave.



United Airlines announced this week that it will place employees who were granted exemption from the company's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for religious reasons on unpaid administrative leave.

What are the details?

In a staff note issued Wednesday, the airline told employees who interact with customers on a regular basis — including pilots, flight attendants, gate agents, and airport customer service agents — that they will be allowed to return to work "once the pandemic meaningfully recedes," CNBC reported.

United reportedly did not provide a specific time frame for when customer-facing employees can expect to return to work, leaving them to wonder about their long-term employment status.

Other employees who were granted religious exemptions but who don't interact with customers on a regular basis — such as mechanics and dispatchers — were also placed on unpaid leave, but will be allowed to return to work once the airline puts in new testing and other health and safety measures.

Additionally, staff who were granted medical exemptions to the company-wide vaccine mandate will be placed on temporary medical leave.

Lastly, "if an employee's request for a religious exemption is denied, they must be vaccinated within five weeks of the denial notice and get the first shot by Sept. 27, or they will be terminated," CNBC noted.

What's the background?

The airline last month announced that it would require all 67,000 of its U.S.-based employees to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 25 or be terminated, becoming the first major carrier to initiate such a move.

"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," CEO Scott Kirby said in a letter to employees, adding, "The facts are crystal clear: everyone is safer when everyone is vaccinated."

At the time, the airline noted that it would grant exemptions to the vaccine mandate for religious and personal beliefs as well as for medical reasons. It was the implication that those who applied for the exemptions would not only be able to refuse the vaccine but also be able to keep their jobs.

But with the new measure, United appears determined to force unvaccinated employees out. TheBlaze reached out to United Airlines for comment and will update this story if a response is received.

Anything else?

Other major carriers have so far declined to implement vaccine mandates for employees, though other efforts to encourage staff vaccination rates have been tried. In August, Delta Air Lines announced it would jack up health insurance premiums for unvaccinated employees by $200 starting in November.

Delta Air Lines jacks up health insurance premiums for unvaccinated employees



Beginning Nov. 1, unvaccinated Delta Air Lines employees will be charged $200 more a month for health insurance premiums as part of a company policy to curb costs associated with the coronavirus pandemic.

What are the details?

Delta CEO Ed Bastian made the announcement Wednesday in an employee memo in which he called the surcharge "necessary" in light of the "financial risk" that unvaccinated employees create for the company.

"The average hospital stay for COVID-19 has cost Delta $50,000 per person," Bastian noted before arguing, "This surcharge will be necessary to address the financial risk the decision to not vaccinate is creating for our company."

"In recent weeks since the rise of the B.1.617.2 variant, all Delta employees who have been hospitalized with COVID were not fully vaccinated," Bastian claimed.

In addition to the monthly health insurance surcharges, unvaccinated employees will also be required to wear masks in all indoor Delta settings "until community case rates stabilize" and will be subject to weekly COVID-19 testing.

Furthermore, starting in October, should an unvaccinated employee contract the virus, they will be forced to remain out of the workplace without COVID protection pay.

"Effective Sept. 30, in compliance with state and local laws, COVID pay protection will only be provided to fully vaccinated individuals who are experiencing a breakthrough infection," the CEO noted.

What else?

The changes are a part of what the executive called a "robust" response to the recent spread of the not-so-conveniently named coronavirus Delta variant. While the company has yet to institute a vaccine mandate for employees, this latest step is clearly an attempt to pressure employees to receive the shot.

Citing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's granting of full approval to the Pfizer vaccine this week, Bastian said, "The time for you to get vaccinated is now."

"We can be confident that the Pfizer vaccine is safe and effective, and has undergone the same rigorous review for other approved medications to treat cancer and heart disease, as well as other vaccines," he argued. "If you aren't fully vaccinated, I strongly urge you to discuss the issue with your personal physician or health provider."

In May, Delta announced it would require that all new hires be vaccinated against the coronavirus, with some exemptions.

That same month one of Delta's competitors, United Airlines, announced that all 67,000 of its U.S.-based employees had to become fully vaccinated or risk losing their jobs.