Southwest Airlines stated Monday that its 56,000-person workforce should be vaccinated in opposition to Covid-19 by Dec. 8 to proceed working on the airline due to new federal guidelines, becoming a member of different carriers who made similar announcements final week.
The Biden administration final month stated workers of federal contractors should be vaccinated, until they’re granted a spiritual or medical exemption.
Southwest and different main airways are federal contractors since they fly authorities staff, cargo and supply different service, similar to flights for Afghanistan evacuees in August. The brand new federal pointers for presidency contractors are stricter than these in President Joe Biden’s plan to extend vaccinations amongst firms with greater than 100 staff by requiring inoculations or common Covid testing.
“Southwest Airways is a federal contractor and we’ve no viable alternative however to adjust to the U.S. authorities mandate for Workers to be vaccinated, and — like different airways — we’re taking steps to conform,” Gary Kelly, CEO of the Dallas-based airline, advised workers on Monday.
Pilots unions at American and Southwest have strongly opposed vaccine mandates, saying aviators are involved about negative effects from vaccines
Kelly stated the choice that the provisions for medical and non secular exemptions are “are very restricted.”
Alaska Airlines, JetBlue Airways and American Airlines final week advised their staff that they should be vaccinated since these airways are authorities contractors as nicely.
United Airlines mandated vaccines for its 67,000-person U.S. workers in August and greater than 96% had uploaded proof of inoculation after the deadline per week in the past.
Delta Air Lines, additionally a federal contractor, stated it’s inspecting the federal guidelines and hasn’t mandated vaccines for its workers of about 80,000 individuals.
The Atlanta-based airline subsequent month plans to impose a $200 month-to-month surcharge on worker well being care premiums for unvaccinated staff.
“Delta’s personal strategy to encourage a excessive charge of worker vaccinations continues to work, with an 84% workforce vaccination charge and climbing day by day,” the airline stated in an announcement.
