{"id":1126822,"date":"2021-12-16T22:28:53","date_gmt":"2021-12-17T03:28:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1126822"},"modified":"2021-12-16T22:28:57","modified_gmt":"2021-12-17T03:28:57","slug":"exclusive-airline-employees-4-health-freedom-sen-ted-cruz-spot-on-for-slamming-united-airlines-ceos-shameful-treatment-of-employees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-airline-employees-4-health-freedom-sen-ted-cruz-spot-on-for-slamming-united-airlines-ceos-shameful-treatment-of-employees\/","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive \u2014\u00a0Airline Employees 4 Health Freedom: &#039;Sen. Ted Cruz Spot On&#039; for Slamming United Airlines CEO&#039;s &#039;Shameful Treatment&#039; of Employees"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">40<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fexclusive-airline-employees-4-health-freedom-sen-ted-cruz-spot-on-for-slamming-united-airlines-ceos-shameful-treatment-of-employees%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1126822&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"subheading\">Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) shamed United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby on Wednesday for his \u201cdeeply disturbing\u201d treatment of unvaccinated employees \u2014 a move which Airline Employees 4 Health Freedom called \u201cspot on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cruz questioned Kirby&nbsp;during a hearing for the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation regarding oversight of the airline industry. The hearing included CEOs from several U.S. airlines and broached topics ranging from the success of the Payroll Support Program (PSP) to pilot shortages.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p>Cruz specifically called on Kirby and asked him to explain his company\u2019s vaccine mandate, which is currently the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2021\/11\/09\/judge-allows-united-airlines-to-mandate-vaccination-for-employees-criticizes-calloused-approach\/\">subject of a lawsuit<\/a>. United\u2019s mandate&nbsp;has resulted in at least 2,000 employees who sought religious and medical exemptions being placed on unpaid leave and stripped of their benefits indefinitely. The senator asked Kirby why United Airlines\u2019 vaccine policy is harsher than those of his competitors, as the carrier is the only one dismissing employees who choose to forgo the coronavirus vaccine. Cruz cited personal accounts of pilots and flight attendants who have been placed on unpaid leave, mentioned the lawsuit, and read aloud from the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ca5.uscourts.gov\/opinions\/pub\/21\/21-11159-CV0.pdf\">dissent<\/a>&nbsp;of Judge James Ho of the Fifth Circuit federal appeals court. He also quoted from a video, which Breitbart News previously <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2021\/10\/12\/exclusive-federal-judge-blocks-united-airlines-from-imposing-employee-vaccine-mandate\/\">obtained<\/a>, showing Kirby in a company town hall telling employees that \u201cvery few\u2026 medical and religious exemptions to the vaccine mandate are going to be granted\u201d and that anyone seeking one would be \u201cputting their job on the line.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>WATCH:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI saw that video, and it\u2019s a disturbing video,\u201d Cruz said.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>He went on to quote from Judge Ho\u2019s dissent: <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote readability=\"11\">\n<p><span>The district court thus concluded that \u201cUnited\u2019s mandate reflects an apathy, if not antipathy, for many of its employees\u2019 concerns and a dearth of toleration for those expressing a diversity of thought.\u201d Through both its policy and its official statements to employees, United has demonstrated a&nbsp;\u201ccalloused approach to\u201d and \u201capparent disdain for\u201d people of faith.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cWhy is United\u2019s conduct disregarding the rights of your employees so different from the conduct of your competitor airlines, which are protecting the rights of their pilots and flight attendants and not firing them or putting them on unpaid leave for exercising their religious liberty rights?\u201d Cruz questioned.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Kirby insisted he \u201cdid this for safety.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWe believe it saved lives. I think that\u2019s my number one obligation is safety, particularly running an airline\u2026\u201d Kirby said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Cruz concluded by telling Kirby he flies with United Airlines almost every week and is often approached by United Airlines staff:<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<blockquote readability=\"15\">\n<p><span>Almost without exception when I\u2019m on one of your flights, I get stopped by a pilot or a flight attendant, often multiple pilots or multiple flight attendants, who say, \u201cThank you for fighting for us,\u201d he said. <\/span><span>Your employees are being mistreated, and it\u2019s disappointing. Your company is better than this, and what you\u2019re doing is wrong.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ae4hf.org\/\">Airline Employees 4 Health Freedom<\/a>, whom Cruz spoke with before the hearing to gather testimonies of reportedly mistreated employees, exclusively told Breitbart News following the hearing that Kirby could offer \u201cno reasonable explanation\u201d when Cruz pressed him for answers.<\/p>\n<p>Co-Founder Captain Sherry Walker said:<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<blockquote readability=\"12\">\n<p>Sen. Ted Cruz was spot on for taking United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby to task for the shameful treatment of his employees. Kirby could offer no reasonable explanation as to why United is punishing or dismissing employees over a policy enforcing mandatory COVID vaccinations. Sen. Cruz called United\u2019s behavior \u2018deeply disturbing,\u2019 unnecessary, and he made it a point to note how United is the only air carrier that is dismissing employees over COVID vaccines. Sen. Cruz also mentioned, and touted, the prospects of the lawsuit against Scott Kirby\u2019s relentless campaign to unfairly fire or punish his workers.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>An Analysis of Scott Kirby\u2019s Testimony<\/h3>\n<p>Earlier in the hearing, Sen. John Thune (R-SD) asked the CEOs to talk about ongoing pilot shortages. Kirby obliged, detailing how United Airlines has \u201c<span>almost 100 airplanes effectively grounded right now\u201d because of the shortage of pilots.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThere has been a looming pilot shortage for the last decade in the United States, and going through COVID, it became an actual pilot shortage. So all of us, particularly our regional partners, simply don\u2019t have enough airplanes to fly,\u201d Kirby said.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But when Cruz grilled him later on, Kirby admitted he had placed 80 pilots who had obtained religious or medical exemptions on unpaid leave. Cruz rebutted Kirby\u2019s claim, asserting the CEO was lowballing the figure, and cited data from Airline Employees 4 Health Freedom putting the figure at 331 pilots.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B4\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>\u201cCARES Act money was allocated to preserve jobs, yet United\u2019s CEO Scott Kirby has grounded over 300 of the carrier\u2019s most experienced pilots and fired or punished hundreds of other workers who requested legitimate medical and religious exemptions from COVID vaccinations,\u201d Capt. Walker said in a statement before the hearing.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>At a different point in the hearing Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), speaking to Kirby, pointed out the irony of Kirby\u2019s seemingly self-created dilemma.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_19164402\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" readability=\"38\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/AP21349813558938.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-19164402\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/AP21349813558938.jpg\" alt=\"Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) speaks during a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021 in Washington. (Chip Somodevilla\/Pool via AP)\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) speaks during a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021 in Washington. (Chip Somodevilla\/Pool via AP)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cWell, it seems like you\u2019re all talking about needing employees \u2014 so it seems like you also would be able to find a workaround on this,\u201d Burns said, referring to the company\u2019s vaccine mandate.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier in the hearing, however, Kirby had bragged about how his planes are \u201cthe safest place you can be indoors\u201d because of the company\u2019s special HEPA air filtration systems.<\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWe filter the air 20 to 30 times an hour, and a typical ICU is two to three times an hour. Aircraft are a remarkably safe environment,\u201d he told ranking member Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS). \u201cThe takeaway that I remember most is that being next to someone on an airplane, sitting next to them, is the equivalent of being 15 feet away from them in a typical building.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly went as far to say that face masks \u201cdon\u2019t add much\u201d because of how safe and clean airplane cabins are.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think the case is very strong that masks don\u2019t add much, if anything, in the air cabin environment. It\u2019s very safe, and very high quality compared to any other indoor setting,\u201d Kelly said.<\/p>\n<p>But still, United\u2019s Kirby insisted that unvaccinated front-facing crew, like flight attendants and pilots, are a danger to others \u2014 even after bragging about the almost zero percent chance of someone catching coronavirus on one of his planes. The CEO told Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) that agreeing to test unvaccinated employees regularly instead of placing them on unpaid leave would be a \u201ccompromise\u201d on safety.<\/p>\n<h3>Where is the Lawsuit Now?<\/h3>\n<p>In a two-sentence order the federal appeals court on Monday rejected an emergency request by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2021\/09\/22\/employees-sue-united-airlines-over-discriminatory-vaccine-mandate-potentially-1000s-face-firing\/\">six employees<\/a> to halt United Airlines from enforcing the company\u2019s coronavirus vaccine mandate. However, the court also granted a motion to expedite an appeal in the case.<\/p>\n<p>Judge Ho wrote the dissent, which Cruz quoted during the hearing, saying he agrees \u201cwith the district court that Plaintiffs\u2019 claims \u2018appear compelling and convincing at this stage.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe person who acquiesces to United\u2019s mandate despite his faith doesn\u2019t lose any pay. But he will have to wrestle with self-doubt\u2014questioning whether he has lived up to the calling of his faith,\u201d Ho wrote. \u201cLikewise, the person who refuses must also wrestle with self-doubt\u2014questioning whether his faith has hurt his family, and whether living up to his commitments was worth sacrificing the interests of his loved ones.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The case is&nbsp;<em>Sambrano v. United Airlines<\/em>, No. 21-11159 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.<\/p>\n<p><em>Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on&nbsp;<a class=\"x5l\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/katherineeeeee2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\">Twitter<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) shamed United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby on Wednesday for his \u201cdeeply disturbing\u201d treatment of unvaccinated employees \u2014 a move which Airline Employees 4 Health Freedom called &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1126822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1126822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1126822"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1126822\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1126822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1126822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1126822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}