United Airlines Faces Lawsuit Brought On By Employee Over COVID Vaccine
DENVER(CBS4) - A Centennial woman is taking United Airlines to federal court. She alleges the airline's vaccine requirement discriminates against her religion.
Jaymee Barrington and her lawyers say she is "a devout Christian and holds the strong belief that her God and holy teachings do not permit the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine into her body."
The suit alleges she filed for a religious exemption, but she fears a suspension from work could lead to her termination after being with the company for 30 years. The suit states Barrington learned her exemption couldn't be accommodated on Sept. 21.
United Airlines released the following statement:
Safety remains our highest priority. We will continue to vigorously defend our policy - vaccine requirements have been around for decades and have served to keep airline employees and customers safe. And with the pandemic continuing to kill more than 2,000 people every day, we remain convinced that our vaccine policy saves lives. As of today, excluding employees who have submitted exemptions, 98.5% of United's U.S. employees are vaccinated.