United Airlines to welcome back unvaccinated employees

In a memo circulated on Thursday, American air carrier United Airlines said that it will allow unvaccinated employees to return to their jobs starting from March 28th. The company has also asked a federal appeals court to dismiss a legal challenge against Covid 19 mandates. 

The Chicago-based carrier also said that after it became one of the first airlines in the US to impose a vaccine mandate on its employees, around 2200 employees had made vaccine-related accommodations. United hopes to welcome back these employees to their original positions as per the memo. In the request submitted to the federal appeals court, the company mentioned that the new policy was "due to substantial changes in the scope and severity of the pandemic as well as the guidance of public health authorities."

The change applies to all employees who were placed on temporary leave or moved to other positions. However, out of United's 67,000 employees, 200 did not comply with the state as well as company imposed vaccine mandate and were fired; officials said that the airline has no plans of rehiring these employees. 

Source: Reuters