United poised to lay off nearly 600 employees who refused to get COVID-19 vaccine

United Airlines announced Tuesday it is poised to lay off nearly 600 employees who refused to get the company-mandated COVID-19 vaccine.

The 600 represent less than one percent of the airline’s 67,000 workers. United said that more than 98 percent of its employees have been vaccinated after management announced the mandatory policy in early August – a policy that included termination or furlough if staff declined to get the shot or did not provide a medical or religious exemption.

However, according to the Washington, D.C.-based publication The Hill, United will give workers one more chance to comply with the mandate during the separation process.

“This was an incredibly difficult decision but keeping our team safe has always been our first priority,” United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby and President Brett Hart wrote in a memo to employees Tuesday.

The percentage of vaccinated United employees excludes the less than three percent of the company’s 67,000 employees who sought a religious or medical exemption. Six United employees filed a lawsuit against the airline last week over its policy to put exempt employees on unpaid leave.

United told reporters Tuesday that the company has seen an uptick in applicants after announcing the vaccine requirement from individuals who want to work in a safe environment.

“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,” the United executives wrote to employees Tuesday.

Frontier Airlines has a similar mandate for vaccinated employees but without the threat of termination or furloughs. American and Southwest Airlines are only encouraging employees to get the shot.