The union representing Southwest Airlines pilots disputed allegations that its members held a mass sickout in protest of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Over the weekend and on Oct. 11, Southwest canceled more than 2,000 flights, according to tracking website FlightAware; the airline blamed inclement weather, and an executive claimed that staffing shortages may be to blame. On social media and beyond, there were claims that pilots were engaging in mass “sickouts”—when workers use their sick leave to stay home in a concerted effort to send a message—over the vaccine mandate.
