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United Airlines is one of the first major companies to publicly speak out in favor of mandatory employee vaccination.
What United CEO Says About Coronavirus Vaccine
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has made it clear that he wants vaccination to be mandatory for all company employees. As he explained to an employee’s town hall this week:
“The worst thing I believe I will ever do in my career is the letters I wrote to surviving family members of colleagues we have lost to the coronavirus. And so, for me, because I have confidence in the safety of the vaccine – and I admit it’s controversial – I think the right thing to do is for United Airlines, and other companies, to demand vaccines and make them compulsory.
I don’t think United will get away with it and can realistically be the only company to demand vaccines and make them mandatory. We need a few more. We need a few more to show leadership. In particular in the health sector. “
That’s an interesting perspective he has – he’s strongly in favor of mandatory vaccination, but also recognizes that other companies need to take a similar stance if United are to ‘get away’.
Note that United is specifically talking about employees here and not suggesting that vaccination is mandatory for traveling with the airline.
Mandatory vaccination is controversial
Any discussion of compulsory vaccination is going to be controversial (or heck, any conversation about vaccination, period). For example, some time ago Qantas CEO Alan Joyce spoke about how passengers might be required to get vaccinated to fly with the airline overseas, and he faced challenges. many negative reactions to these statements, and even recalled them a little.
Among the major US airlines, so far we haven’t seen any airline CEOs declaring that vaccination would be mandatory for employees or passengers, so United is a first in this regard.
While I am extremely excited to be getting the vaccine myself and totally support as many people as possible getting the vaccine, I can see both sides here. In favor of compulsory vaccination, it is that it would limit the chances of an employee being infected with coronavirus, as well as all the associated logistical challenges and risks.
At a time:
- It is not known if those who are vaccinated can still infect others, so in many ways it is not even directly about protecting others.
- Once we have reached a critical mass of vaccinations, we hope that the number of cases and deaths decrease enough that a small percentage of people who choose not to be vaccinated have less impact on society in its own right. together.
I guess to simplify my argument a little more, let’s first vaccinate everyone who wants to be vaccinated (while prioritizing seniors, essential workers, etc.). Then when we reach this point, let’s see what the situation looks like and what additional action should be taken for anti-vaxxers.
I think it is likely and reasonable that vaccination will be mandatory among pilots and flight attendants, as many countries may require vaccination to enter. I think the argument is a little harder to make for employees who don’t move around the same way, like gatekeepers and crawlers.
It will be interesting to see what kind of policy most companies put in place. I guess at some point we might see one company leading the way and then several more companies will follow.
At the end of the line
The CEO of United Airlines has spoken in favor of the obligation to vaccinate all employees. He is the first CEO of a major US airline to make such a strong statement. I am totally in favor of vaccinating as many people as possible, although I suspect that there may be some negative reactions here among a certain subset of the population.
Do you think most major airlines will make vaccination mandatory, or will it come down to individual choice?
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