United compels worker Covid shots in first for US airlines

Bloomberg

United Airlines Holdings Inc said workers must get vaccinated against the coronavirus, becoming the first major US carrier to impose the mandate.
Employees must receive the vaccine and upload their injection record to a company database no later than October 25, although that date could change, United said in a memo. In mid-June, the Chicago-based airline began requiring new hires to provide proof of coronavirus vaccinations by their start date.
United joins a growing list of companies that have been prompted by the rapid spread of a highly contagious virus variant to require proof of vaccination from employees, including Facebook Inc and Tyson Foods Inc, Microsoft Corp is requiring workers to have had the shots before they can enter any of its US facilities. Others like Amazon.com Inc and Wells Fargo & Co have delayed the full reopening of their corporate offices.
“We know some of you will disagree with this decision,” Chief Executive Officer Scott Kirby and President Brett Hart said in the memo. “But we have no greater responsibility to you and your colleagues than to ensure your safety when you’re at work, and the facts are crystal clear: Everyone is safer when everyone is vaccinated.”
American Airlines Group Inc., Southwest Airlines Co and Delta Air Lines Inc are “strongly” encouraging employees to be vaccinated but none requires it. Delta in May began mandating that new hires get inoculated. Frontier Airlines employees must be fully vaccinated by October 1, or provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test on a regular basis, according to a company statement.
“The time has come to do what we can to help put an end to Covid-19,” Frontier CEO Barry Biffle said in the statement.
United will also require documentation from workers who seek religious or medical exemptions. Those who otherwise refuse will face firing. About 90% of United’s pilots and 80% of flight attendants have been vaccinated, the
carrier said.
The company has provided shots at clinics in several major cities, but couldn’t say what portion of its total workforce has been fully vaccinated. Shots are easily obtained and free under United’s insurance, the airline said.