Employees sue United Airlines over COVID vaccine mandate

United Airlines is facing two separate lawsuits over its COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

One of the two lawsuits was filed in the U.S. District Court in Fort Worth, Texas. In that suit, the employee alleges that their religious exemption was not accommodated.

SEE ALSO: United Airlines to require COVID vaccinations for all US-based employees

Last week, before the mandate went into effect, six employees asked a federal judge to block the vaccination requirement.

The employees, including two pilots and a flight attendant, are accusing the airline of a "pattern of discrimination against employees who requested religious or medical accommodations." They say the airline's approach of putting exempt employees on an indefinite leave of absence means "that they would be effectively terminated."

In response to the lawsuit, the airline said it will "vigorously defend its policy."

Read United Airlines' full statement below:

"Safety remains our highest priority. We will continue to vigorously defend our policy - vaccine requirements have been around for decades and have served to keep airline employees and customers safe. And with the pandemic continuing to kill more than 2,000 people every day, we remain convinced that our vaccine policy saves lives. As of today, excluding employees who have submitted exemptions, 98.5% of United's U.S. employees are vaccinated."

CNN contributed to this report.