United Airlines announced that it may have to terminate just 593 of 63,000 employees for failing to comply with the company’s coronavirus vaccine mandate, which had a deadline was Monday, the Washington Post reports.
The airline said it has start to process the termination papers for those employees, but if they provide proof of vaccination or an application for a religious or medical exemption before the termination is completed, they could potentially retain their jobs. Just 3% of United’s workforce applied for coronavirus vaccine exemptions rather than get the vaccine.
“This is a historic achievement for our airline and our employees as well as for the customers and communities we serve,” Chief Executive Scott Kirby and President Bret Hart wrote in a memo to employees. “Our rationale for requiring the vaccine for all United’s U.S.-based employees was simple — to keep our people safe — and the truth is this: everyone is safer when everyone is vaccinated, and vaccine requirements work.”