A federal judge in Texas has rejected a bid by Southwest Airlines pilots to block the company’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. U.S. District Judge Barbara M. G. Lynn denied the pilot union’s request to issue a temporary restraining order against the mandate, saying that the airline can legally require vaccines to maintain its operations and improve safety.
The mandate was instituted by the airline as part of President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate aimed at all government contractors. Southwest, like many airlines, has contracts with the government and flies U.S. mail and federal employees, in addition to providing other services to the government.
The airline said that all employees must be fully vaccinated or have received approval for a medical, disability or religious exemption by December 8 to continue their employment with Southwest. Although Texas Governor Greg Abbott recently issued an edict banning vaccine mandates for private businesses operating in the state, Southwest insisted it would continue with the requirement in accordance with the federal decree. The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA) sought exemptions for the mandate on the grounds that the vaccine could cause medical side effects that may bring a pilot’s career to an end.
SWAPA, which represents around 9,000 pilots for Southwest Airlines, argued that the airline was violating the Railway Labor Act by changing the work and pay rules of the pilots without negotiating. After an unsuccessful plea for an exemption, the union filed an injunction at a federal court in Dallas to temporarily block the mandate.
In her ruling, Judge Lynn said: “Requiring Southwest employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 will likewise improve the safety of air transportation, the efficiency of Southwest’s operations, and further the [collective bargaining agreement]’s goal of safe and reasonable working conditions for pilots.