A group of airline employees in Canada banded together to fight mandatory COVID-19 jabs as a condition of employment in the aviation industry.
“We are a group of professional pilots, flight attendants and other aviation professionals who passionately believe in the right to travel freely. As such, we are ardent defenders of people’s right to explore the world, without the threat of arbitrary limitations, such as vaccination status,” reads the “Free to Fly” group platform.
“We believe personal autonomy is among the highest aspirations of every human being. For this to be realized, we must avoid unnecessary societal obligations, especially in the context of one’s health.”
According to the “Free to Fly” website, nearly 13,000 people have joined to date ranging from pilots, ramp workers, flight attendants, to corporate workers from Canada’s main airlines.
“We unequivocally support our passengers’ and colleagues’ rights and freedoms, and their freedom to fly. We vehemently oppose the dangerous and rapid trajectory being taken by corporations, academia and government, asserting ultimatums into the totality of life, including matters of inherently private choice. History speaks to the fearful places this leads,” reads the group’s website.
One of the group’s founders is commercial airline pilot Captain Derek Grigor, who currently works out of Alberta.
Grigor said the group does not consist of “anti-vaxxers,” but of people “frustrated” from their freedoms “being taken away.”
According to Grigor, Canada was “not built” by threatening airline professionals with over “30 years” of service into taking a COVID-19 jab. “So we’ve all joined together, and it’s pretty awe-inspiring actually,” said Grigor, as reported by the Epoch Times.
Canada’s second-largest airline, WestJet, recently announced that all of its employees must be “fully vaccinated against COVID-19” by October 30.
Those who refuse to comply will face “unpaid leave or termination of employment.” WestJet said it will consider accommodating “employees who are unable to be vaccinated against COVID-19 either through medical or other exemption.”
However, the airline also said it will not offer testing as an alternative measure, adding that “full vaccination status will be a requirement of employment for all future employees hired by the WestJet Group.”