The fight against Covid-19 vaccine mandate in Texas continues, Southwest Airlines employees protesting the requirement at Dallas headquarters

Dallas, Texas – The fight against the vaccine mandates continues in Texas as many people still remain vaccine hesitant and decide not to get the vaccine at any cost.

What differs Texas from majority of states is the fact that Gov. Abbott signed an executive order banning all vaccine mandates in the state meaning that not a single Texas based company can legally require their employees to get the shot.

This decision puts many companies like Southwest Airlines in complicated position since they are facing mandatory vaccination for workers from the White House, while the state of Texas bans the mandates.

On Monday, the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association held a protest outside the airline’s Dallas headquarters Monday morning over the vaccine mandate.

The pilots on the protest were accompanied by all Southwest Airlines vaccine hesitant workers including flight attendants and many other company workers.

The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association already filed lawsuit against the company in regards to the vaccine requirement, but the company responded that they are requiring them to vaccine in order to keep everyone safe including other colleagues and customers and avoid putting the whole business at risk.

The protestors said with the vaccine requirement in place by the company, the airline is violating their personal rights.

“To fight for ourselves and our medical freedom,” said Southwest Airlines manager Deni Viggiano. “Not only for ourselves, but for our children.”

What is even more interesting is the fact that even Ken Paxton, Texas Attorney General who is up for re-election next year, showed up at the protest fully supporting the SWA workers against the vaccine requirement. Paxton in multiple occasions announced that he strongly opposes vaccine mandates in all types.

“We’re already planning our lawsuits. I’m already organizing with other states,” he said. “I promise you this: We will fight for you. We will do everything under our constitution.”

The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association filed the lawsuit against the company in August. The lawsuit came in a period while the union is in negotiation with the company for a new contract and the pilots are only asking everything to remain in place while the negotiations are ongoing. That means they are not accepting new working conditions, rates of pay and rules, which especially applies to the vaccine mandate.

It’s something the union says has changed multiple times during the pandemic with quarantine policies, paid leave and now the vaccine mandate.

How will this end up remains unclear at this point since the company said in a statement that despite workers’ dissatisfaction, they will continue to implement the vaccine mandate as initially planned to protect their workforce, customers and keep the business running.