Popular TikToker says Southwest employees are frustrated over company’s weak vaccine and mask mandates
Southwest Airlines employees have allegedly been reaching out to popular TikTok creator @tizzyent with their concerns over how the company is handling COVID-19 precautions and right-wing, anti-mask employees.
@tizzyent has relayed their concerns to his audience and, as the video reaches over 300,000 views, some users are saying they won’t be flying Southwest any longer.
In the TikTok, @tizzyent begins with a roundup of recent news about the airline. In the past few months, a pilot caused controversy after using the anti-Biden meme “Let’s Go Brandon” over the speakers and the airline has come under fire for weak enforcement of vaccine mandates.
@tizzyent has made previous videos about the Southwest controversies and says employees have since privately messaged him with their experiences.
“Good people who are not happy about what they’re having to experience with some of their fellow employees,” @tizzyent explains in the video.
After hearing their stories, @tizzyent says, “It's even worse than I thought."
He goes on to share images of “Let’s Go Brandon” graffiti written across Southwest planes and landing gear. Employees have also written the slogan on their uniforms and safety vests.
“But at the end of the day, that’s just kind of petty and immature,” he says.
The more concerning issue, according to @tizzyent, is the lax enforcement of masks on planes. He includes photo evidence of a passenger bragging on social media about not wearing a mask on a Southwest flight.
“I’ve heard more than a few stories from Southwest employees about how when they have asked a passenger to put on their mask,” @tizzyent shares. “And that passenger became aggressive or even violent. They ended up getting a call from their supervisor reprimanding them for ‘not handling it better.’”
@tizzyent then goes on to describe alleged controversy around Southwest’s vaccine participation pay program, where employees can receive either 16 hours of extra pay or other work credits for getting vaccinated.
“On paper it sounds great,” says @tizzyent. But he says the reality is much different.
“The ones who don't want to get vaccinated complain that the ones who do get money. So [Southwest] amended it to include employees who submit an accommodation request that gets approved,” explains @tizzyent. “Southwest has decided that religious exemptions are included...”
He explains that many religious exemptions center around abortion.
“Religious exemption is usually based on abortion because the vaccine was tested on the cells derived from an aborted fetus,” he says. “But you know what else was tested on those cells? Regeneron, the monoclonal antibodies treatment that Trump and the Governor of Texas and pretty much everyone who has Covid and gotten better has had.”
But the religious exemption is allegedly even wider than just the abortion grounds.
“Some employees are bragging,” states @tizzyent, “that they got theirs approved not for the abortion thing, but because they believe the vaccine is the mark of the beast.”
“That's like being a lumberjack and saying you don't want to cut down trees because you it might upset the Lorax,” he goes on to say.
TikTok users have responded with shock at the alleged conduct of Southwest employees and with concern for its passengers.
"They work in a metal box that moves through the sky but they don’t trust science,” said @julie9010.
“My mother with lupus exclusively uses southwest. Forwarding this to her. That is life threatening for her,” commented @krakencupcake.
Most users commented that they would stop flying Southwest.
“And now I’m never flying Southwest again,” said @dvinerivers.
“Great! Cancelling my Southwest ticket tomorrow,” shared @tepidpenguin.
“And I used to love Southwest Airlines...I can’t possibly fly w them anymore,” added @jiacobbgennifer
“There is much work to do regarding this requirement and its compliance,” said a spokeswoman for Southwest Airlines in a statement to the Daily Dot. “We don’t want any employee to lose their job over a vaccination issue. We have every intention of working with our employees as best we can.”
@tizzyent did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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