By 
American Airlines Group Inc.
AAL,
has pushed back the deadline for employees to get COVID-19 vaccinations to align with a new deadline for federal contractors.
The carrier told employees on Thursday that they now have until Jan. 4 to upload proof of vaccination or request exemptions. Previously, employees of federal contractors were required to be vaccinated by Dec. 8.
Some airline workers and labor unions have opposed the vaccine requirement, and the union representing American’s pilots had written to government officials in September warning that strict vaccination requirements could lead to “labor shortages and create serious operational problems” during the busy holiday travel season.
American executives had said previously that even with the earlier deadline, they didn’t anticipate that the vaccine mandate would cause disruptions.
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