United Airlines can carry out its plans to place workers who receive exemptions from its COVID-19 vaccine mandate on unpaid, indefinite leave, a federal judge ruled Monday. U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, a Trump nominee, last month ordered United not to proceed with its plans as he sought to make sure workers who filed for an exemption weren’t unduly harmed before oral arguments took place. But in an opinion issued after the arguments, Pittman said plaintiffs had not met their burden to prove they would suffer irreparably for him to enter a preliminary injunction, which would serve to keep blocking the unpaid leave plan for some time. United says it will grant exceptions to its mandate for religious and medical reasons but that all of those who get exemptions will be put on unpaid leave for an undetermined length of time. Plaintiffs, including pilot David Sambrano, alleged United violated the …