Unfortunately, many American Airlines flight attendants did not receive the mandatory MMR and VarICE vaccinations required by their employer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has deemed this a public health risk because unvaccinated people who come into contact with other passengers can spread measles or mumps to them. This is the first time such an incident has occurred in recent times—the airline began requiring its employees get vaccinated after finding manual labor was too difficult without immunization.
The “flight attendant” is a professional that works on the ground for an airline. They are responsible for making sure passengers have everything they need while they are flying. However, some flight attendants have been found to be unvaccinated and will not automatically be fired.
American Airlines Flight Attendants Who Aren’t Vaccinated Won’t Be Fired Immediately
on October 18, 2021 by Gary Leff
Unlike United, the American Airlines flight attendants union is informing workers that individuals who acquire a religious or medical exemption to vaccination will be able to continue working.
Unlike United, management stated that they were looking into solutions that would enable workers to continue working. [M]anagement pledged to uphold its legal responsibilities to examine and consider each accommodation request on an individual basis, and to provide reasonable accommodations where necessary.
While Sara Nelson’s Association of Flight Attendants refused to assist United Airlines employees in obtaining exemptions, the American Airlines APFA promises to “ensure management complies with the letter of the law in regards to the Executive Order and reasonable accommodations,” though they are not allowed to “negotiate to provide for particular accommodations or ensure that a Flight Attendant is granted an accommodation.”
Furthermore, the APFA stresses that unvaccinated workers without an exemption cannot “be automatically withdrawn from service or dismissed from employment on the deadline for compliance” since the flight attendants union contract mandates a termination procedure. That’s probably why, as a condition of being a government contractor, getting CRAF subsidies, and participating in government travel city pair agreements, the federal government requires all workers to be vaccinated or have a certified exemption by December 8th.
Delta’s CEO seems to believe that unvaccinated workers won’t have to be fired as long as the majority of staff receive the vaccination – in other words, that the federal government would soften its stance in order to avoid disrupting Christmas travel, with the aim of increasing vaccine adoption.
That may be true under federal contractor regulations, but OSHA’s big employer rule is now being reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget. It will get embroiled in litigation once issued, causing employers even more uncertainty. However, it is unlikely to be removed until the courts order it.
Employers are in a dilemma when it comes to exemptions.
- If you don’t provide an employee a religious or medical exemption, you risk being sued for breaching their rights. This is most likely going to be a class action lawsuit.
- Irregularly granting an exemption exposes the company to hefty OSHA penalties.
This is a high-stakes situation. Even while breakthrough infections are genuine, more vaccinated workers safeguard other colleagues since they are less likely to acquire the virus and transmit it if they do.
On the other hand, on Sunday, I sat in ordinary economy on United Airlines, wedged into a middle seat and unaware of my seatmates’ illness or immunization status. That wasn’t enjoyable, and nothing in these guidelines will alter that.
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