Despite claims to the contrary by a union official, I’ll be damned if there’s a discernable reason other than money. Greed, particularly when surrounding circumstances in which someone has lost their life, is most foul.
I think it’s not so much a money issue as it is a power issue. The union is, like most of them, quite jealous of its perks and responsibilities. It does overlap with the money, of course, because if you let other people do any of the things that are covered in the contract somebody isn’t going to get paid, somewhere down the line, but I think the most important consideration to the union is holding on to the power.
The thing I find somewhat amusing, if also appalling, is the assertion by the union official that the whole thing should be kept confidential. Sounds good and noble, “Let’s not make a big public to-do about this, fellas”, until you remember that the people who aren’t supposed to be told are the people who are paying the bills.