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American Airlines delays vaccine mandate deadline until 2022 after Biden shifts deadline

Pilots discuss as they take a look at the tail of an American Airways plane at Dallas-Ft Price Worldwide Airport.

Mike Stone | Reuters

American Airlines is delaying the implementation of guidelines that require all workers to be vaccinated in opposition to Covid-19 till Jan. 4, hours after the Biden administration postponed its deadline for federal contractors to satisfy the necessities.

Beforehand, American Airways’ greater than 100,000 mainline staff needed to obtain their final Covid vaccine shot by Nov. 24, if getting a two-shot vaccine, so as to to be absolutely vaccinated by Dec. 8, the previous deadline.

“Given this growth, all U.S. group members and Latin America-based crew members have till Jan. 4, 2022 to submit proof of vaccination or a request for lodging,” CEO Doug Parker and American’s president, Robert Isom, wrote in an worker memo. The airline can also be extending its provide of an additional trip day and a $50 price of firm incentives to Jan. 4.

Southwest Airlines and different carriers are prone to comply with go well with.

Each of these airways have confronted opposition from pilots’ labor unions and another staff in opposition to the mandate. Airline executives on the carriers have urged workers to use for exemptions so as to meet the vaccination deadline, which beforehand fell the day earlier than Thanksgiving. The executives stated they did not anticipate the mandate to affect vacation journey, however the brand new deadline offers them extra time to conform.

The union that represents American Airways’ pilots wrote to Biden administration officers and lawmakers in September warning the 60-day implementation interval might trigger labor shortages and flight disruptions. The union additionally sought different to the mandate akin to common Covid testing. “We’re happy to see there’s extra time to grapple with this beautiful consequential government order,” stated Allied Pilots Affiliation spokesman and American Airways captain Dennis Tajer, after the extension of the federal contractor deadline was introduced. He stated that the union remains to be requesting that the administration give “severe consideration” to a daily testing different, in keeping with the OSHA guidelines.

American, Southwest, Alaska Airlines and JetBlue Airways, are federal contractors, carrying U.S. mail, authorities staff, cargo and offering different companies. Every of these airways have stated they’d adjust to the Biden administration’s guidelines, launched in September, that require federal contractors to make sure their staff are vaccinated or obtain an exemption.

The principles are stricter than the vaccine necessities the Biden administration launched on Thursday for non-contractor corporations with greater than 100 staff, which permit for workers to be examined often as a substitute of getting vaccinated.

United Airlines issued its personal mandate in the summertime that required workers to be vaccinated, obtain an exemption or face termination. The Chicago-based airline says that greater than 96% of its U.S. staff are vaccinated.

Delta Air Lines says that some 90% of its U.S. workers is vaccinated. The corporate did not difficulty a mandate however this month began charging unvaccinated staff $200 extra a month for firm medical insurance.

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