"Religious Exemptions Not Accepted"… US Airline Places All Unvaccinated Employees on Unpaid Leave

United Airlines "Employees Approved for Vaccination Exemption to Take Unpaid Leave Starting Next Month 2"

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] United Airlines (UA), a leading U.S. airline, has issued warnings and announced plans to place employees who refuse COVID-19 vaccination due to religious beliefs on unpaid leave.

On the 8th (local time), UA notified via an internal email that "employees who applied for a religious exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine and received company approval will be placed on temporary unpaid leave starting from the 2nd of next month."

Employees who applied for a vaccine exemption but did not receive company approval will be given five weeks to submit vaccination proof; failure to do so will result in termination.

Employees exempted from vaccination for health reasons will also be excluded from work starting the same day but will be treated as on 'sick leave' and receive partial pay.

UA stated, "This decision was made after considering various factors, including the requirements for airline employees and the nationwide pandemic situation."

UA CEO Scott Kirby said, "The company is responsible for employee safety. It is clear that everyone is safer when all employees are vaccinated."

The Chicago Tribune reported that the length of leave for employees approved for vaccine exemptions varies depending on customer-facing roles and the reasons for exemption.

Customer-facing positions such as pilots, flight attendants, and gate agents can only return to work once the COVID-19 pandemic situation meaningfully recedes.

For non-customer-facing roles such as technical staff, ground operations, and air traffic controllers who received religious exemptions, UA will maintain unpaid leave until new testing and safety procedures are developed and implemented.

Additionally, managers and executives with religious vaccine exemptions will also be placed on unpaid leave until applicable safety protocols are established or their return to work becomes essential.

The Hill interpreted UA's message as a warning to employees who received religious exemptions from vaccination.

UA, headquartered in Chicago, employs approximately 67,000 people, with headquarters staff currently alternating between office and remote work.

UA has not disclosed how many employees have been vaccinated so far. However, when announcing the mandate last month, it stated that more than half of the unvaccinated employees at that time had submitted vaccination proof.

UA was the first major U.S. airline to mandate vaccination for all employees.

The original vaccination deadline was October 25, but after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officially approved the Pfizer vaccine on the 23rd of last month, the deadline was moved up to September 27.

However, other major airlines such as American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Southwest Airlines have decided not to mandate vaccination for their employees, according to The Hill.

Delta Air Lines stated, "Most employees have already been vaccinated without a mandate."

American Airlines plans to encourage vaccination by offering incentives such as extended vacation time to employees who complete vaccination.