Southwest Airlines had an operational meltdown over the weekend, cancelling over a quarter of its flights. The cause it frequently being attributed to pilot sick outs protesting vaccine mandates, though this hasn’t been confirmed.
The narrative about Southwest, though, could become self-fulfilling at the airline and spread to other carriers. Pilots are watching the operational carnage at Southwest and realizing that they can take down the operation, even if they weren’t doing so already. And employees at other airlines are watching.
American Airlines has a deadline to comply of November 24, or begin termination procedures. This is literally the day before Thanksgiving and peak holiday travel.
In the meantime, the American Airlines intranet is lit up with anti-vax conspiracies and employees encouraging illegal work stoppages. It’s hard to imagine employees,
- putting this in writing
- on a company website
Nonetheless, it’s exactly what is happening now. Anti-vax conspiracy theorist Alex Berenson reported an employee hope to mirror Southwest’s operational challenges at American over vaccine mandates but I’ve seen the messages directly.
While employee comments are no longer allowed on most articles, they’re permitted in town halls for follow up questions.
So are we at least going to make one last push?…I made a point to our management, if we were to walk out that day the morning kickoffs would be delayed. Imagine if the unvaccinated group rally together it will send a message that we will not be bullied.
All I could say is we need to hold the line. Several of our team members are going to have a meeting and plan our next course of action.
Rumors abound of older mechanics considering retirement,
We are hearing in Tulsa that the TWU Retirement Counselor is already booked till the end of October. Sounds like a lot of folks are considering the Retirement option.
A 21 year American Airlines pilot, with 27 years in the Air Force, made the case against vaccines as having side effects worse than the virus, which after all has “proven therapeutic solutions” like Hydroxychloroquine, Ivermectin, “Vitamin and Steroids.” Steroids are literally given once the body is attacking itself, this is to suppress the immune system so the body does not kill itself from a cytokine storm.
Covid-19 vaccines are literally incredible. They’re saving incredible numbers of lives. I got vaccinated as soon as I could, and I’m grateful to the scientists that made it possible.
I think it’s reasonable for a company to require employees to be vaccinated, to protect their operation from outbreaks that would inhibit their ability to deliver their product. That’s not what’s going on here – American, Southwest and others responded to pressure from the federal government over their subsidies and contracts. Airlines are one of the most heavily regulated industries in the country, so when the President calls they’ll largely jump.
As a passenger whether pilots are vaccinated concerns me little, they’re mostly inside a little room at the front of the plane with the door closed. I’m far more concerned with whether fellow passengers are vaccinated. That’s who I’m congregating with at security, at the gate, and on board. And no U.S. airline is requiring passengers to be vaccinated as a condition of carriage.
If health insurance rates increased by 50% unless you could prove you had the vaccine or were medically exempt, the numbers getting vaxed would rise. And if covered by those not paying for their insurance, either a large co-pay or “supplemental” charge for non covered would also work. Eight months ago supply was a bit limited; no more. There needs to be a cost for those unvaccinated that need Covid health care.
Can anyone produce the signed into law, Executive order? It appears that this was just a media release, with no vote conducted by congress and then signed into law. Please, can anyone provide such proof as I’m very confused as to how this is proceedin with no actual law.
No anti vax, not pro vax, just want the actual legal position considered here and I cannot find the law here.
Gary, SHAME on you. You should be Gary LEFT, unreal that you deny both sides of the argument. Shame shame shame on you. Never reading your site again. disgusting.
You rabid vaxxers – stop quoting the 700k number of covid deaths in the US.
The CDC says only 6% of this number died DIRECTLY FROM covid.
This is not the same with dying from covid. If you died in a car accident but had covid, guess what – you’re part of that 700k number that the media relentlessly reports but is lying about.
Would the US shut down if the the media was being truthful about covid deaths. Nope.
John L, I think you actually believe that only 420 people have died from Covid (6% of 700K)…..
that’s incredible the way some people can rationalize anything to fit the narrative they have in their respective rabbit holes, amazing.
How about you rabid anti vaxers leave it as a personal choice and stop trying to spread an wide array of BS Crazy misinformation about the vaccine that you use to not only support your decision, but actually try and talk others out of a potentially life saving jab.
Since you use obviously believe the CDC you should be interested in the statistic that so far 90, 000 lives have been lost that could have been prevented had they chosen to be vaccinated.
These employees are HEROES!!!! I hope they coordinate with other airline employees and shut ALL air travel down until this Nazi B.S. is put to bed permanently!
Well done!