United Airlines employees who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 for religious or medical reasons will be allowed to return to work later this month.
In August, United was one of the first companies to require proof of vaccination for its U.S.-based employees. Of 67,000 employees, 2,200 applied for 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 fired 200 employees, and those close to the airline’s decision said they will not be allowed to return. Newly hired workers, however, 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 as a result of declining COVID-19 cases and the easing of many restrictions nationwide.
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United’s response to unvaccinated employees was one of the strictest, with most other major U.S. airlines stopping short of terminating, reassigning, or placing employees on leave.
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.
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United faces a lawsuit from employees who did not agree with being placed on unpaid leave in connection 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 asked for a new hearing.
