Just like all of the anti vax threads.

 

People seem to be confusing two distinct groups of employees:

1. Those who applied for and received an accommodation for religious or medical reasons. These individuals were placed on unpaid leave NOT TERMINATED as part of the “reasonable accommodation process” last fall. Those employees are being called back to work.

2. Those who DID NOT apply for an accommodation and DID NOT get the vaccines. These employees were terminated and will not be coming back.

 

Well, as to your second point, not yet anyway. I have a feeling once the entire lawsuit/grievance process plays out, they’ll be back too.

 

How many pilots are in that group? I would imagine this will continue to clog up the training pipeline in the short term as they come back non-current.

 

Its much more efficient to requal a non current pilot than make a new one from a new hire.

 

Does this apply to new hires too? If that’s the case, the flood gates will open up.

 

The title is a little misleading. There isn’t a change to the requirement, per se; they are just letting those with approved exemptions return to work.

 

There are a lot of easy ways to get an Approved Exemption.

So, yes, the Approved Exemption flood gates are open!

 

From the airline apps site:

“Proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 must be presented to interview with United Airlines and again on the first day of employment. The CDC considers people to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 two weeks after their second dose of a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
If you are unable to be vaccinated against either COVID-19 or Yellow Fever due to a medical restriction or sincerely held religious belief, you will need to participate in United's Reasonable Accommodation Process (RAP). We are unable to consider you for employment until this process is complete.”


They still are true believers in the jab. My guess is that this becomes the new “4 year degree”. It might not be required, but they might find someone they like better to hire. United didn’t rubber stamp religious exceptions like other airlines did from what I understand also, so getting one here might be harder than other places.

 

As a new hire, though? Obviously none of us know, but it would interesting to see if anyone got approved and was subsequently given a CJO.