We don't know for certain if this was the case here or not... the CEO implied it was, but we don't yet know.
I do know that the union is powerful, and the CEO last Fall agreed to a new contract with them that gave a lot away to the union... including making it easier for employees to get free rides for vacations, family and friends, etc.
The attitude within United might be tipping more and more in favor of the sacred union employees' rights over the rights of their paying customers.
‘We don’t know for certain if this was the case here or not... the CEO implied it was, but we don’t yet know.’
If they settle out of court we’ll likely never know.