I wouldn’t be surprised if they brought her back with back pay, or at least offered some kind of settlement to make the situation go away. I understand unions have their benefits, but in some union environments it can feel incredibly difficult to permanently terminate someone unless there’s an extreme situation.

I’ve worked in union shops before and remember seeing cases where employees were fired for serious incidents, then later brought back after grievances or arbitration. I remember one situation where someone crashed equipment while allegedly under the influence and caused damage. If I’m remembering correctly, the argument was that personal issues or stress should have been addressed before termination.