United Airlines wants to lay off almost 600 employees

The US airline United Airlines wants to lay off almost 600 employees who do not want to be vaccinated against Covid-19 and have no health or religious exemption. "This was an incredibly difficult decision, but the safety of our team has always been our top priority," said CEO Scott Kirby and President Brett Hart about the decision. The affected employees could still save their jobs if they were vaccinated before the official dismissal interview. The company became the first U.S. airline to require Covid-19 vaccinations for all domestic workers in early August. Proof of vaccination was requested up to this Monday. Almost everyone in the workforce adhered to it, said the airline, which employs around 67,000 people. However, 593 employees refused to be vaccinated in principle. The company announced that around 2,000 employees had applied for an exception for medical or religious reasons. The airline had planned to send employees who have received a religious exemption on temporary, unpaid vacation starting October 2. However, these plans have been put on hold until October 15 due to a lawsuit challenging this policy. A company spokesman announced that the vaccination will be a requirement for new employees to be hired in the future. United plans to hire around 25,000 new employees in the next few years. A vaccination should also be mandatory for students at the pilot school, said the spokeswoman. The company denied claims that vaccinations deter applicants for a job with the airline. At a career fair in Denver last month, United said it received 700 applications for around 400 job postings. Likewise, more than 20,000 applications for about 2,000 vacancies for flight attendants have been received, said the spokesman.