Pilots Union Asks for Exemption to Mandatory Vaccine Rules
Joe Cortez September 28, 2021
Two pilot’s unions are pushing back against a federal mandate to require workers at companies with over 100 employees to either get the COVID-19 vaccine or submit to weekly testing. Both the Allied Pilots Association and Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Association are asking for a waiver, warning it could create problems during the holiday season.
Unions representing pilots at two major U.S. carriers are challenging president Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for companies with over 100 employees, claiming removing those who have not taken the shot could create major problems during the holiday season. The Allied Pilots Association (APA) and Southwest Airlines’ Pilots Association (SWAPA) are lobbying for exemptions to the vaccine requirements.
At Least 4,000 Pilots With Texas-Based Airlines Unvaccinated
According to the unions, numerous aviators have not decided to get any of the COVID-19 vaccines. ABC News reports 30 percent of APA’s organized pilots – or 4,200 American Airlines workers – are not inoculated against the novel Coronavirus. Representatives for SWAPA have not disclosed how many of their members have not taken the vaccine. Both American and Southwest are based in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex area of Texas.
Under the Biden administration’s mandate, employees of any company over 100 employees must get vaccinated or be subjected to weekly testing. However, in a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration and other government officials obtained by Politico, the APA says many pilots do not want to get vaccinated over concerns about “unique issues” with the shots.
“Some of APA’s members are unable to undergo vaccination for documented medical reasons, while others are reluctant to get vaccinated based upon concerns about the potential for career-ending side effects,” the APA letter reads. “All of those members are still able to perform their duties as professional pilots. To force those pilots out of their positions, rather than offering viable alternatives will have adverse consequences upon their families and the airline industry as a whole.”
SWAPA agrees with the concerns risen by the APA. In an e-mail to government officials seen by Politico, the union claims “it is each pilot’s right to choose whether or not to get the vaccine.” If the inoculation mandate moves forward, both unions say it could create major problems for the workforce heading into the busiest aviation season of the year.
“We are also concerned that the Executive Order’s anticipated 60-day implementation period for mandatory vaccinations could result in labor shortages and create serious operational problems for American Airlines and its peers,” the APA letter reads. “Airlines generate a substantial portion of their annual revenue during the holiday period, with a great many travelers depending on us to get them to their destinations. Our nation’s airlines, and the traveling public, cannot afford significant service disruptions due to labor shortages.”
Debate Continues as Airlines Split on Mandatory Vaccinations
The move by the unions comes as airlines are taking different approaches to vaccination requirements. Delta Air Lines will add an health insurance premium surcharge for unvaccinated employees, while American is offering numerous incentives to encourage more workers to take the shot.
Feature image by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash
For those that so ardently support these policies, I'm sure you'll also support an airlines decision to check passengers weight and either deny boarding or charge a premium for anyone over the FAA average weight of 184 lbs. for men, 162lbs. for women and 66 lbs. for children under 13? No waivers will be granted for thyroid conditions or other medical issues. Remember, your health is now everyone's concern. I think $50 for the first 5 lbs. over the limit would be fair and then it doubles, and accumulates, for each addition 5 lbs. so about $750 for a 199 lb. man. Oh, you don't like that one? Too invasive? It's your right to be overweight, "my body, my choice"? How about we check for flu shot status and deny anyone who hasn't gotten all their flu shots for the past 10 years. Tetanus? Shingles vax for older people? MMR for the kids. Does this sound ridiculous? It will never happen? That's what I would've said 2 years ago yet here we are.
That's an average, not a maximum.
Yeah, we’re in a pandemic and this Swiss cheese approach where everyone does whatever they feel isn’t working. Everyone who can be vaccinated should be or this is never gonna end. While my health may not be anyone else’s responsibility, you making a conscious choice to endanger my health is not okay. You’re rights end where mine begin.
Tack I have to disagree with you. Vaccination is a Public Health issue. I am vaccinated to protect others as well as myself. Remember, there are people, babies, and children who legitimately Cannot be vaccinated. I have a friend who is confined to her house because she has health issues that prevent her from taking the vaccine.(She wishes she could take it) Do you think that she as well as babies and children should Not be protected? That is OK that they could get sick and possibly die because of someone thinks their "free choice" is more important than their lives?
TravellingITGuy… Except that no one needs an excuse to not get vaccinated. It’s a free choice. If you’re vaccinated but still worried you have a choice. Dont fly. By me being vaccinated, I hope no one thinks for a second I did it for their safety. That is not my responsibility. If you’re vaccinated and you wear a mask? Then you’ve taken responsibility for your own health. As for anyone else? Including airline staff? Not your business.
Polinka - actually, there are plenty of nutters in those groups. Like the pilot who told me that Biden left Apache helicopters in Afghanistan with instructions that they be sold to Arab countries and then used to attack Israel. Don't know how much tin foil is in his pilot's cap, but seems like a lot.