Delta Air Lines will charge more unvaccinated staff for health insurance

Delta Air Lines said on Wednesday that employees will have to pay an additional $ 200 each month for their company-sponsored health care plan if they choose not to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

The move to add a surcharge to health insurance premiums is the latest tactic for U.S. companies to push employees to get vaccinated to fight the pandemic.

A number of US companies, including competitor Delta United Airlines, have imposed injections on their employees to protect their operations from the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus, which has struck parts of the country with higher vaccination levels. weak.

President Biden also urged private companies to demand that employees be vaccinated.

In a memo, general manager Ed Bastian said the monthly surcharge would go into effect on November 1.

Bastian said the surcharge is necessary to address the financial risk the Atlanta-based airline faces due to the decision not to vaccinate.

A spokesperson for Delta Air said the average hospital stay for COVID-19 cost the company $ 40,000 per person. The surcharge would apply to the entire workforce and proof or documentation of vaccination will be required to avoid it, the spokesperson said.

Chris Riggins, spokesperson for the Air Line Pilots Association at Delta, said the union did not intend to oppose the proposed surcharge because it would not affect the healthcare plan it he negotiated with the airline for its members.

But since most pilots are not covered by the union negotiated plan, Riggins said they would see an increase in their healthcare costs if they decide to remain unvaccinated.

In the note, Bastian said 75% of Delta Air’s workforce has been vaccinated. However, not all of the employees who have been hospitalized with COVID-19 in recent weeks were not fully vaccinated, he said.

While Delta had refrained from making vaccines mandatory for its staff, its latest move contrasted starkly with the policy of rivals such as American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, which “strongly encourage” their employees to be vaccinated.

American Airlines is giving vaccinated employees an extra day off in 2022 and $ 50 through its employee recognition platform.

Bastian said unvaccinated Delta employees will be required to wear masks in all indoor environments, effective immediately.

Any employee in the United States who is not fully vaccinated will be required to take a COVID-19 test every week. Compulsory testing will begin on September 12.

Those who test positive for the virus will need to isolate themselves and stay out of the workplace, Bastian said.

The company will offer COVID-19 salary protection starting September 30 only to fully vaccinated employees who experience a breakthrough infection, he said.