Even if Southwest Airlines isn’t “perfectly in compliance” by December 8, the company won’t fire unvaccinated workers
Texas – It looks like Southwest Airlines employees won the battle with the company over the vaccine mandate following multiple protests and huge dissatisfaction in those who don’t want to get the Covid-19 shot.
As Fox Business report reported on Friday, Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly said during the company’s third-quarter earnings call on Thursday that no one will lose their job on Dec. 9 even if the airline isn’t “perfectly in compliance.”
Earlier this month, the company said that it requires all employees to get vaccinated no later than Dec. 9 in order to comply with Biden’s federal vaccine mandate. The company initially said that those who won’t get vaccinated by Dec. 9 will get their contract with the company terminated.
While the airline “encourages every employee” to get inoculated, it does not want to “lose any employee” over President Biden’s federal vaccine mandate, Southwest said in a statement to FOX Business.
Despite the deadline, Kelly on Thursday said that no one will get fired arguing that it “makes no sense.”
“We’re not going to fire anybody who doesn’t get vaccinated,” Kelly said. “How we work through the people that don’t get vaccinated or don’t seek an accommodation, we’re going to have to figure out and we’re working with the government on that.”
The company is now in tough position since they are government contractor and they are required to comply with Biden’s vaccine mandate. However, they are now working hard to find a balance between their position as a government contractor and keeping their employees safe.
“It makes no sense that we would not respect that and find some way to work with our people on that,” he added.
Kelly added that the company doesn’t want to make anyone fear for their job over the vaccine mandate especially not in a period when the holiday season approached. But they will continue to strongly encourage every single worker to get vaccinated and will try to understand each employee’s personal situation.
For comparison, United Airlines announced they are in process of firing nearly 1% of their workforce, a total of 232 people, for not complying with the company’s vaccine mandate to get vaccinated by September 27.