Southwest Policy on Employee Vaccination

[ffflyer]

Another example of what southwest really cares about. Not the health of their employees nor the safety of their passengers. 

another reason to pay a little more and fly United where I can reserve me seat in advance and be safe. 

[dfwskier]

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@ffflyer wrote:

Another example of what southwest really cares about. Not the health of their employees nor the safety of their passengers. 

another reason to pay a little more and fly United where I can reserve me seat in advance and be safe. 

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Well unless you happen to live in Newark, Chicago, DC, LA or Houston, lots of luck to you in finding convenient flights.

Hope you find joy in paying for the seats you select, and paying for checked bags, too.

[deatonfl]

As a Rapid Rewards member and long time fan of Southwest I must so I am extremely disappointed in your recent decision to not require your employees to get vaccinated. The facts have shown that vaccines SAVE lives and I've always looked upon Southwest as an airline that put customers and their safety first. By this action you have violated on of the tenants that I believe the airline was founded and has flourished under. I always looked up Southwest as being an industry leader and on this issue you have shrunk from that position. I am very happy that United has taken a position of industry leader on this issue and have put the safety of their customers at the top of their concerns. Unfortunately my future travel plans will take that into consideration. I sincerely hope you will re-consider this decision as I know many other's who are loyal SW patrons who have share the same disappointment with me that will probably never take the time to make these feeling known directly. 

[dfwskier]

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@deatonfl wrote:

As a Rapid Rewards member and long time fan of Southwest I must so I am extremely disappointed in your recent decision to not require your employees to get vaccinated.    I am very happy that United has taken a position of industry leader on this issue and have put the safety of their customers at the top of their concerns. Unfortunately my future travel plans will take that into consideration.

You seem to be more concerned about 3 to 4 flight attendants than the other 143-175 potentially unvaccinated people who might be on board. 

You seem to not understand that those same potentially unvaccinated passengers will be aboard your next United  flight.Those passengers out number the flight attendants by about  43 to 1. Do your future travel plans take that into consideration?

Maybe you should simply stay home.and  not travel.

[gsking]

Another exquisite example of facts over  emotion.    If only people would think instead of feeling their way through life.   I guess all that pesky arithmetic makes it too difficult? 🤷 

[Sham]

I know your information is well-intended so for that, I thank you. I would have to disagree with your concern that other patrons will probably never take the time to make their feelings known; many feel very strongly about this particular topic. 

Despite how one feels about the various vaccines available,  we should and always have had the ability to make our own choices concerning our medical care. Unfortunately, a mandate removes that choice.  SW has set themselves apart with providing customers choices and I am happy to know they are also providing their employees that same service.  Like customers, if employees agree with your concern and believe their fellow co-workers should be MADE to do engage in medical care they do not agree with vs having choices, then they have other choices to make out their employment.  

I still see SW as a unique, industry leader in the airline industry and most certainly do not see them jeopardizing the safety of their customers and employees, rather, not dictating their medical care.  You are correct, most vaccines have and DO save lives however, this one is quite different, hence the some individual hesitation.  Having choices to be vaccinated have always existed so I encourage you to dig a little deeper about this particular shot, perhaps it may offer a better understanding about why people choose to forego vaccinations.  

[chgoflyer]

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@Sham wrote:

I know your information is well-intended so for that, I thank you. I would have to disagree with your concern that other patrons will probably never take the time to make their feelings known; many feel very strongly about this particular topic. 

Despite how one feels about the various vaccines available,  we should and always have had the ability to make our own choices concerning our medical care. Unfortunately, a mandate removes that choice.  SW has set themselves apart with providing customers choices and I am happy to know they are also providing their employees that same service.  Like customers, if employees agree with your concern and believe their fellow co-workers should be MADE to do engage in medical care they do not agree with vs having choices, then they have other choices to make out their employment.  

I still see SW as a unique, industry leader in the airline industry and most certainly do not see them jeopardizing the safety of their customers and employees, rather, not dictating their medical care.  You are correct, most vaccines have and DO save lives however, this one is quite different, hence the some individual hesitation.  Having choices to be vaccinated have always existed so I encourage you to dig a little deeper about this particular shot, perhaps it may offer a better understanding about why people choose to forego vaccinations.  

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To be frank, many people "feel strongly" about this particular topic because they've been manipulated with misinformation by those who seek to sow division for political gain.

People are choosing to forego vaccinations because they're choosing to believe non-factual info. Statements to the effect that, "most vaccines have and DO save lives however, this one is quite different" sadly demonstrate the prevalence of disinformation.

Current covid vaccines have proven to be very safe, and remarkably effective at reducing severe illness, hospitalization and death. Because the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use a newer technology that's not immediately easy for the layman to understand, they've been vilified by certain people. It's easy to fear what you don't understand. (And certain politicians and commentators have for years promoted a distrust of science.) But mRNA distribution has been studied for decades. To date over 387 million covid vaccines have been administered in the US, and over 6 billion worldwide, with very low incidences of adverse effects.

If one is (unduly) concerned about mRNA vaccines, they can opt for the Johnson & Johnson one -- it uses the disabled adenovirus technology we've been using for major vaccines essentially since vaccines were first invented.

Here's a thought -- ask yourself why antivaxxers lump all covid vaccines together and claim they present the same risks, when in reality they use varying, different technologies?

Currently, the US is averaging over 1,900 covid deaths per day, and nearly all (~96%) are unvaccinated. In many states, hospitals and ICUs are overwhelmed, and some have taken to rationing care. The lack of available hospital beds is now affecting the care non-covid patients receive. Choosing to remains unvaccinated no longer hurts just yourself.

Since the pandemic began, 1 in 500 Americans has died from covid.

I encourage you to dig a little deeper about covid vaccination options, perhaps it may offer a better understanding of their overall safety, and the actual risks involved in foregoing this very important vaccination.

No evidence of COVID-19 vaccines causing deaths

The powerful technology behind the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines

Johnson & Johnson vaccine: How is it different?

US COVID-19 deaths are topping 1,900 a day

1 in 500 Americans Have Died of COVID-19

How Polio Campaign Beat Vaccine Hesitancy

[kalishmali]

Well, there is the option of chartering a plane! Have you changed your diet for the better to help develop strong natural immunity to infectious and chronic disease?

You want to hear, "it's not your fault." And you should diminish your own fears. I'm not going to throw rocks at either side. What's important to you? If you're the one who is worried about getting Covid, the vaccine does not stop transmission, it only addresses reducing symptoms (explained in the materials submitted to the FDA to obtain Emergency Use Auth.) It is diligent to find out for yourself that vaccine makers are immune from liability. Vaccine companies have long rap sheets. Previous attempts to make similar vaccines have failed. Covid vaccines have no long-term safety testing. Learn more about the FDA. Serious adverse vaccine reactions are real and are underreported. What's the big deal? Convince me, please. People are so vehement about this... some even emotionally charged. Adults have under .04% risk of death from Covid-19 (according to CDC). Dr. Fauci and others own patents on the Moderna version. mRNA vaccines contain problematic ingredients, and the J & J version contains aborted human fetal cell lines. Just some things to consider before getting worked up about making choices for other people—or business decisions by airlines and other private companies.

If you want everyone around you vaccinated because that makes you think you can't get sick, then maybe you shouldn't be taking *public* transportation... or walking through *public* airports... because there will be people... lots of people.

[NicoleAshley]

While Southwest Airlines does encourage Employees to get their COVID-19 vaccination, we appreciate everyone here sharing their thoughts and feelings on this topic. It's important to remember that not all advice is sound advice. While Community Members and Employees will do their best to help each other out, it is possible for information provided in the Community to be wrong, incomplete, or not applicable to your specific situation. Always apply good judgment and feel free to seek information from other sources.

[RS2021]

NicoleAshely,

I just wanted to share here, in a public forum, the message that I just sent via email to Southwest (via the link on the Contact Us page).  

In case anyone in this community does end up reading this, let me preface by saying that I have a degree from MIT in chemical engineering and have worked for several decades in the biotech sector; I adore both the hard sciences and social science and psychology; and I have a fine-tuned radar for deception and manipulation.  I question EVERYTHING, I think things through very deeply and thoroughly before drawing conclusions, and my communication and active-listening skills are top-notch (not by random chance or genetics, but from intentional focus, practice, and formal education over the past few decades -- yes, as a side gig in parallel with my engineering career).  

With that said, here's the message that I just sent by email via Southwest's Contact Us page:

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I'm a long-time Southwest customer. I've always had a special appreciation for the way this airline has challenged old norms, broken paradigms, and created innovation in the air-travel experience.

I was dismayed, however, to learn about the ethically-questionable tactics being used by Southwest's corporate decision makers to coerce the airline's employees into getting vaccinated for the CV19 virus.

Such coercion is unjustifiable for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the growing volume of empirical data that shows that (a) even in fully-vaccinated communities (such as many U.S. college campuses, as well as Israel and other countries) the virus still spreads in quantitatively equivalent fashion to that of low-vaccination communities; and (b) air travel has been shown to be a very low risk for CV19 transmission, a finding attributed to the technologically advanced filtration systems used on board modern airplanes.

Aside from the empirical findings listed above, the very notion of coercing U.S. citizens in particular (and humans in general) to subject themselves to any medical treatment that they choose to forego is morally, ethically, and legally WRONG. Arguing that it's merely a business decision justified by the costs incurred if an employee contracts the CV19 virus -- that argument is absurd when considered alongside all the other factors involved.  Among those factors is the extremely low incidence of mortality or severe illness from CV19 in the age range that includes the vast majority of Southwest employees.

To sum up, as long as Southwest continues to impose coercive CV19-vaccine measures on its employees, I will refrain from choosing Southwest in my travel plans.

You can do better than this, Southwest corporate decision makers.  You can remain true to your iconoclastic roots and have the courage to push back against the CV19 hysteria being perpetuated by the current US presidential administration and all the corporate-media talking heads that parrot the fear-based alarmist messages that have become increasingly divorced from empirical data about the actual science and mechanisms behind the virus and the vaccines.

Please, Southwest, please snap out of the collective trance! Dare to question the narrative pushed by the government and its lackeys in the powerful elite. Go back to operating based on solid science and rational critical thinking.

Sincerely and with hope for sanity to return,

RS

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