In August, United was one of the first companies to demand proof of vaccination for its U.S.-based employees. Of 67,000 employees, 2,200 applied for a religious or medical exemption and were generally placed on unpaid leave or given a role that did not require customer interaction, according to the Wall Street Journal.
United let go of 200 employees, and those close to the airline’s decision said they would not be allowed to return. However, newly hired workers will still be required to show proof of vaccination.
The airline’s decision, which will allow unvaccinated workers to assume customer-facing roles as of March 28, comes from declining COVID-19 cases and the easing of many restrictions nationwide.
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The company’s Vice President of human relations, Kirk Limacher, said in a memo shared with employees Thursday that United was taking the step because it expects Coronavirus cases, hospitalizations, and deaths to continue to drop over the next few weeks.
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New reported cases of COVID-19 in the United States have dropped sharply since mid-January when the highly contagious Omicron variant began to wane. “Of course, if another variant emerges or the COVID trends suddenly reverse course, we will reevaluate the appropriate safety protocols at that time,” Limacher said.
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Last year, CEO Scott Kirby pushed the mandate as a critical safety measure, and United became one of the most visible U.S. corporations to impose a vaccine requirement. The company said that about 97% of its 67,000 U.S. workers got the shots, and only about 200 were terminated. United’s response to unvaccinated employees was one of the most stringent, with most other major U.S. airlines stopping short of terminating, reassigning, or placing employees on leave.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lightened its masking guidelines, and the majority of states and cities have dropped COVID-19 requirements. Last week, Hawaii dropped its quarantine requirement and, on Tuesday, became the last state to announce it will drop its mask mandate on March 25.
United faces a lawsuit from employees who disagreed on being placed on unpaid leave related to their religious or medical exemption from receiving the vaccine. Last month, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 in favor of the United employees, saying a federal judge in Texas must reconsider rejecting their motion to block enforcement of the vaccine mandate. United has requested a new hearing.
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