American Airlines delays COVID-19 vaccine mandate deadline until January
Once vaccinated, employees will be required to upload documentation to the company website
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American Airlines announced Thursday that it would postpone the implementation of a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for its employees until Jan. 4, falling in lockstep with the Biden administration's delay of a vaccine deadline for federal contractors.
On Thursday, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services gave employers with more than 100 employees – as well as federal contractors – a Jan. 4 deadline to comply with Biden's vaccine mandate, threatening businesses that do not comply with thousands of dollars in fines.
Chicago, IL, USA - July 17, 2017: American Airlines fleet of airplanes with passengers at O'Hare Airport passing through corridor. (Getty Images) (iStock / iStock)
OSHA VACCINE MANDATE TO HIT LARGE EMPLOYERS JAN. 4, WITH HEFTY FINES FOR NONCOMPLIANCE
"Given this development, all U.S.-based team members and Latin America-based crew members have until Jan. 4, 2022 to submit proof of vaccination or a request for an accommodation," CEO Doug Parker and the company's president, Robert Isom, stated in an employee memo.
Doug Parker, chairman and chief executive officer of American Airlines Group Inc., speaks during a briefing with President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, not pictured, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, March 4, (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
American Airlines also announced to partially vaccinated employees that they would need to receive their second dose of the vaccine and upload documentation to the company's website by Jan. 4.
The company said some accommodations could be made, noting that it has "already worked through many accommodation requests and will continue to do so in the coming weeks."
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA - JULY 16: People check in at the American Airlines counter in the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on July 16, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) / Getty Images)
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In addition, the airline said it would extend vaccine incentives to those it currently employs. "Team members who submit their vaccination proof by Jan. 4, or are approved for an accommodation, will be eligible for an additional day of vacation pay, as well as $50 worth of Nonstop Thanks points," the memo stated.