What actions might the employer and/or the union have taken to avoid this conflict?

You have to elaborate more on what the conflict is

Having a long credit that will be corrected is better that a short credit that is clear is simply because with long credit history, a prospective lender can see how you have operated your credit facility over a considerable period. nobody's credit history is perfect - everyone has at least 1 or 2 lapses on their record. have short history of your credit doesn't show patterns or trends of persistent late payments.

Answermediation;