Nearly 600 United Airlines employees face termination for failing to comply with vaccine mandate

United Airlines said Tuesday that 593 of its employees are facing termination for failing to comply with its Covid-19 vaccination policy, one of the strictest mandates for inoculation from a U.S. company.

About 2,000 of United’s 67,000-person U.S. workforce sought exemptions from the mandate, which it announced this summer. The Chicago-based company said staff to whom it grants such exemptions will be placed on temporary unpaid leave.

“And we know for some, that decision was a reluctant one. But there’s no doubt in our minds that some of you will have avoided a future hospital stay — or even death — because you got vaccinated,” United’s CEO, Scott Kirby, and the company’s president, Brett Hart, told employees in a note Tuesday.

Unvaccinated employees without exemptions face termination, though that process could take weeks. A United spokesman said the company is willing to work with some unvaccinated employees during the termination process if they change their mind about getting inoculated.

Employees fired for not getting vaccinated would be terminated on the grounds of violating a company safety policy, which could make them ineligible for unemployment benefits.

The number of flight attendants who hadn’t sent in their vaccination cards and hadn’t received an exemption fell by about half from the weekend to Monday and fell further to about 100 on Tuesday, according to the Association of Flight Attendants, which represents the carrier’s roughly 23,000 cabin crew members.

More than 500 United employees represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers by Monday afternoon had not uploaded proof of vaccination but that dropped to fewer than 400 on Tuesday, according to District 141 President Mike Klemm. The union represents more than 25,000 United employees. Another 700 had received exemptions, he said. The group includes fleet and passenger service workers.

Klemm said the union is planning to file wrongful termination grievances if the workers who refused to be vaccinated are fired.

Six United Airlines employees sued the carrier in federal court in the Northern District of Texas, alleging the company didn’t provide them with “reasonable accommodations” for religious or medical reasons. United said it will “continue to vigorously defend our policy.”

U.S. companies have increasingly issued vaccine mandates for some or all of their employees, from Tyson Foods to Walmart and McDonald’s since Covid cases spiked over the summer.

President Joe Biden earlier this month said his administration plans to mandate that large companies require their employees be vaccinated or have them test regularly for Covid. Airline executives say they are awaiting the specifics.

All major U.S. carriers have encouraged staff to get vaccinated but have diverged in their approaches, which have included extra pay or time off as an incentive. Most haven’t required vaccines.

Delta Air Lines plans to impose in November a $200 monthly surcharge on unvaccinated employees’ company health-care costs. Delta, along with Alaska Airlines and American Airlines have said unvaccinated employees will have to use their own sick time if they miss work because of Covid. Hawaiian Airlines said staff must be vaccinated by Nov. 1.

Even if an airline doesn’t require vaccines, it could affect where some employees could fly. For example, American Airlines told pilots on Sept. 20 that the governments of Suriname and Canada will require aviators to be vaccinated to work those trips, according to a staff memo. That also applies to flight attendants, according to their union.

American expects more countries will be added to the list.

United since Aug. 1 has required pilots and flight attendants to be vaccinated to fly to certain destinations. It currently includes Brazil, Peru, India, Italy and Iceland among others.