United Airlines accused of refusing employees to exempt vaccination warrant

Sept. 22 (Reuters) – United Airlines Inc (UAL.O) faces allegations it illegally denied religious and medical exemptions from the requirement for employees to receive COVID-19 vaccines after allegedly making it difficult for workers to ask for them.

On Tuesday, six United employees filed a class action lawsuit in Texas federal court, claiming that workers seeking warrant exemptions had been subjected to intrusive investigations into their health or religious beliefs, including l obligation to obtain letters from pastors.

Chicago-based United said in a statement the lawsuit was baseless and had received an overwhelmingly positive response from employees since announcing its vaccine needs last month. More than 97% of United employees based in the United States are vaccinated, the airline said.

The lawsuit highlights the thorny legal issues facing employers with mandatory vaccines, and comes as President Joe Biden seeks to demand companies with 100 or more employees to ensure their workforce is fully vaccinated or tested for COVID-19 every week.

The plaintiffs on Wednesday asked the court to temporarily ban the execution of United’s tenure for employees seeking exemptions. United have demanded that workers receive at least the first dose of a vaccine by September 27 or face dismissal, according to the lawsuit.

The airline has already faced a separate legal challenge to its vaccine mandate, which was dismissed by a U.S. judge in Florida last week. The judge said the lawsuit was not filed properly.

Plaintiffs in Tuesday’s lawsuit say United only gave employees until August 31 to request religious or medical exemptions from the vaccine requirement, and automatically denied requests filed after that deadline .

They accused United of violating federal laws prohibiting discrimination based on religion and disability.

The workers seek to represent a national class that they believe would likely include more than 2,000 United employees.

Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in New York Editing by Matthew Lewis

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