Unvaccinated workers cost United Airlines millions of dollars

United Airlines

United Airlines revealed that unvaccinated workers cost it millions of dollars — the company pays nearly $3 million a month to keep hundreds of employees who refuse to be vaccinated against covid-19 on paid leave.

United Airlines revealed in legal documents that it is spending 1.4 million dollars every two weeks in benefits for workers who have not complied with the company’s vaccination mandate and are on leave.

According to the CBS News, United was the first major airline to require vaccination of all workers and 99.7% of about 67 thousand fulfilled the obligation.

However, 232 workers did not get the vaccine — meaning they are at risk of contract termination — and some will take the company to court, said United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby in remarks to CBS Mornings.

This situation reflects the willingness of employers to have their workers vaccinated and the reluctance of many people to do so—in the United States, the denial movement is very broad.

Thus, thousands of workers are resigning, or being fired, for refusing to get the vaccine, and while many of these conflicts have been taking place behind closed doors, others have gone public.

On United Airlines, several unvaccinated employees filed a lawsuit against the company and are now receiving extended leave benefits until the matter is resolved in court.

In response to the lawsuit, US District Court Judge Mark Pittman imposed a temporary restraining order on United, preventing it from implementing its vaccination mandate.

At issue are unvaccinated employees who said they had medical or religious reasons that prevent them from receiving the vaccine. Many airlines allow their employees to opt-out of a vaccination mandate, but United does not offer such leeway.

Pittman last week denied United’s request to lift the restraining order and extended it until 8 November.

Lawyers representing unvaccinated employees say that it is unfair to make these workers choose between vaccination or keeping their job.

“Some people have sincere religious objections to the covid-19 vaccine, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires employers to respect and accommodate those beliefs,” said attorney Mark Paoletta.