A federal judge ruled this week that United Airlines employees seeking medical or religious exemptions from the company’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate cannot be placed on unpaid leave.
U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, who was appointed by President Trump, issued a temporary restraining order against the company’s plan to place workers that do not get vaccinated by Oct. 26 on unpaid leave, according to Breitbart.
“The Court now concludes it is necessary to issue this Temporary Restraining Order to avoid risking irreparable injury and to maintain the status quo in this case pending the Court’s hearing and resolution of Plaintiffs’ Motion for Preliminary Injunction,” Pittman reportedly wrote in his ruling.
Under the latest ruling, United Airlines, which was one of the first to require a Covid-19 vaccine, is also barred from denying any employee’s request for a religious or medical exemption from the Covid-19 vaccine. United originally told workers they would not be permitted to request an exemption after Aug. 31.
This ruling effectively protects employees until the courts can hear oral arguments pertaining to the lawsuit filed by a group of United Airlines employees.
However, while United workers seeking exemptions from the vaccine mandate are temporarily permitted to continue working, the airline plans to fire over 300 workers who did not file for waivers, the Daily Mail reported.
Matt Schlapp, a conservative commentator and chairman of the American Conservative Union, posed a series of questions to the airline, asking it how far it will go.
“Can you fire someone for being unhealthy? For being a smoker? For having type 2 diabetes? For being overweight? For being old? For having a poor immune system? For being sick? All contribute to more serious cases of Corona virus. Is that next United Airlines?” Schlapp asked.
While it is unclear how far companies plan to take mandates in the name of “public health,” all Americans should be deeply concerned with the trajectory they are currently on.
As a result of the dystopian mandates that clearly violate Americans’ individual liberties, airline employees are protesting across the country in hopes of regaining their freedoms.