Originally Posted by
EWR764
It's a collectively-bargained contract provision (some would say 'right'), not a unilateral 'rule'.
When properly managed, it's not something that should impact the passenger experience, and wouldn't have made a meaningful difference in this case.
I wholeheartedly encourage United to argue that they have to have a policy that screws passengers because of a union contract. Please, please do this.
And, yes, union contracts that mandate seats, particularly that mandate higher class of service seats, have a large effect on the customer experience and are a prime reason for the entitlement that airline employees exhibit to passengers.