After nearly two years of worries over masks and vaccine requirements, United Airlines (UAL) is doing a 180-degree turn and letting unvaccinated employees return to work from March 28 onwards.
Back in August, the country's second-largest airline led what would become a widespread industry requirement by mandating all 67,000 of its U.S.-based employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or face unpaid leave or even termination.
While the decision faced numerous legal challenges and attempts to block it in court, the mandate worked to curb the spread of travel- and work-related disease as the company announced that over 96% of its workforce had been vaccinated while around 2,200 received exemptions for medical or religious reasons.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
"It has become actually a point of pride for the people of United Airlines," CEO Scott Kirby said last year. "In some ways [it's] been transformative to the kind of culture that we want to have going forward at United."
United Workers No Longer Have To Be Vaccinated?
This all changed when, according to an internal memo first uncovered by the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago-based airline announced that those roughly 2,200 employees are now able to return to work — whether that was on planes or in offices or warehouses — without getting the vaccine.
"We plan to welcome back those employees who have been out on an approved (accommodation) to their normal positions starting [March 28,]" the memo said, according to Reuters.
Those who were fired for not having an accommodation but still not getting the vaccine will not be brought back, however.
On top of the policy change, United also asked a federal appeals court looking to challenge the mandate upheld by a judge after six employees sued to dismiss it as no longer relevant.
What Changed For United (And Will Other Airlines Follow)?
The reasons for the change of heart have to do, according to the carrier, with "substantial changes in the scope and severity of the pandemic as well as the guidance of public-health authorities."
Throughout the pandemic, guidance on masks and vaccinations tended to follow a domino effect — between the end of April and the start of May in 2020, Delta (DAL), United and American Airlines (AAL) all started requiring masks for employees and passengers.
"These changes suggest that the pandemic is beginning to meaningfully recede," the United memo further said. "As a result, we're confident we can safely begin the process of returning employees with accommodations to their jobs."
United's decision may, in turn, soon get picked up by other airlines.
