Capped overtime pay is something the airline demanded, for sure. Probably, yes, but I could also imagine the union wanting a cap as well, to limit the airline'

Capped overtime pay is something the airline demanded, for sure. Probably, yes, but I could also imagine the union wanting a cap as well, to limit the airline's power to resolve situations like this without having to negotiate with the union. The union is clearly pissed off that the airline hasn't needed to involve them yet. If the airline can't unilaterally offer higher pay to the pilots to fix this problem, that gives the union a chance at benefiting from it.