Southwest drops unpaid leave vaccine deadline

DALLAS — Southwest Airlines will let unvaccinated employees keep working past early December instead of putting them on unpaid leave if they apply for an exemption on medical or religious grounds.

Federal contractors — including major U.S. airlines — face a Dec. 8 deadline to require employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Southwest spokeswoman Brandy King said this week that employees must submit proof that they got the shots, or file a request for an exemption from vaccination, by Nov. 24. Employees whose requests have not been processed or approved by Dec. 8 will be allowed to keep working, she said.

The company backtracked from a previous position that employees who had not been vaccinated or received an exemption would be put on unpaid leave.

“While we intend to grant all valid requests for accommodations, in the event a request is not granted, the company will provide adequate time for an employee to become fully vaccinated while continuing to work and adhering to safety protocols,” King said.

Southwest notified employees of the deadline delay Friday.

American Airlines said Tuesday that workers who are granted medical or religious exemptions will probably have to wear face masks and undergo regular testing, but the airline is still working on details.

“American will not be placing any team members on unpaid leave as part of the federal vaccine mandate,” said American Airlines spokesman Matt Miller.

Southwest and American are based in Texas, where GOP Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered businesses not to require employees or customers to be vaccinated. Both say they will comply with President Joe Biden’s federal mandate that contractors require vaccination, which they believe has legal priority over state orders.

United Airlines, the first U.S. carrier to announce a vaccine requirement for workers, has started termination proceedings against about 200 employees who neither got the shots nor asked for an exemption.