AE4HF UPDATE - 5-12-2022

www.AE4HF.org

On August 6, 2021, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby announced his plan to implement a vaccine mandate creating the first 100% vaccinated US Carrier. At first, the mandate was sold to the employees as a safety measure. However, it became obvious to US Federal Judge, Mark Pittman, this was merely a “pretextual” claim. Why else would the CEO ground almost 400 of its most experienced pilots, impose draconian and retaliatory policies on 2000 of its loyal employees, and attempt to pit vaccinated co-workers against un-vaccinated.

United employees suffered at the hands of their employer, enduring a tortuous reasonable accommodation process (RAP). Careers were threatened. Members were told that by submitting a RAP they were effectively signing their resignation papers. They were told they were surrendering their retirement. Pilots and Flight Attendants were told they would never fly again. Most egregiously, employees were told this by management and their unions. Some unions received sizeable payments for pushing the 100% vaccinated narrative. At every step in the process, management applied pressure to dissuade employees from exercising their rights. They played fast and loose with the EEOC guidelines going so far as to send postcards through the US Mail system. This publicly exposed the recipients’ vaccination status and private medical information.

Many could not take the pressure. They violated their faith, and now are trying to rectify their conscience. We welcome them.

Others are fighting termination because they thought they met artificial deadlines; however, difficulties when submitting through United Airlines HR technology know as “Help Hub” caused many employees’ application materials to go unprocessed. We are helping them.

What happens to the person who finds faith after the deadline? Are they no longer entitled to their rights under Title VII? What about the individual who suffers vaccine injury or is told they cannot receive the vaccine? Does the ADA not cover them? We will fight for all of them.

Finally, most facing mandatory boosters are saying no. If you succumbed to the initial pressure, violating your faith due to fear of not being able to feed your family, termination, or pressure, we want to help you through the reasonable accommodation process.

In a recent media campaign CEO Scott Kirby told the public that vaccinated co-workers do not want to work with the un-vaccinated. This lie is refuted by the hundreds of support letters that continue to pour in.

Can you imagine a world where one has the right to deny working with someone who is different from them? Maybe they are different in their race, sexual orientation, or gender. Title VII protects employees from being discriminated against based on these differences–including one’s religion which is the first fundamental right in the Constitution. Yet, Kirby’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program seems to omit the religious and those medically challenged.

Unable to sit idly by and watch so many suffer, Captains Laura Cox and Sherry Walker joined with Danielle Runyan, an attorney and Captain’s spouse, to lead the resistance. Together, these three tough moms incorporated Airline Employees 4 Health Freedom, a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization that engaged one of the top religious liberty law firms in the nation, Schaerr-Jaffe. The group is fighting in federal court against the unreasonable accommodation of unpaid, indefinite leave for anyone who “submitted” a RAP at United Airlines. They are not done yet. The ladies are fighting for the right for everyone to be granted a reasonable accommodation, no matter the date of submission.

Together, we believe our efforts will help return our nation to one of faith and freedom. As parents, our driving force is our children and the world we leave them. Imagine for a moment the future. You son or daughter asks you why, when you had the chance to make a difference, you sat idly by afraid to engage. How can we look our children in the eye in a decade and tell them we failed? We cannot, and we will not. We must ensure future generations are afforded the same freedoms our Founding Fathers secured centuries ago. Please join us in our fight.