United Airlines to require full COVID-19 vaccinations for all new employees: It's the 'right thing to do,' CEO says

United Airlines announced that all new employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 starting this month, CBS News reported.

"As we welcome new employees to the company, it's important we instill in them United's strong commitment to safety," the airline stated in a memo to employees, CBS News added. "Effective for all job offers made after June 15, 2021, we will require any external candidates for U.S.-based jobs to attest that they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by their start date."

What are the details?

All new United employees will be required to upload their vaccination cards into the airline's system within seven days of joining the company, the network reported.

Delta Air Lines mandated the same policy for new employees in April, CBS News noted, and called the vaccine shots "safe, effective and essential to the future of the airline and our world."

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby in January hinted that his company likely would join others if they began requiring employee vaccinations and said that was the "right thing to do" for United and other corporations, the network said.

"We need some others to show leadership, particularly in the health care industry," Kirby said during an employee town hall, CBS News reported. "So, if others go along and are willing to start to mandate vaccines, you should probably expect United to be amongst the first wave of companies that do it."

Not everyone is on board

The network added, however, that other U.S. airlines said they would not require their workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

"We are strongly encouraging team members to get vaccinated and offering an incentive for those who do," an American Airlines spokesperson stated in an email, CBS News said. "But we do not plan to require the vaccine unless it's mandatory for entry into certain destinations."

Anything else?

Late last month, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said businesses can mandate that employees get vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter their workplaces and offer incentives for receiving the vaccine.

A recent poll of 1,339 employers indicated that 60% of them will require proof of vaccination from employees, ABC News said, but surprisingly left-wing social media powerhouse Facebook is not among those that will enact such a mandate.