My thoughts (I'm too lazy to quote the right sections):

As to being fired if you fail upgrade ONCE, no way, no how, not at a union carrier. Most contracts protect your job until you fail the third time (e.g., fail oral, then fail the type, you better be on your game for the recheck.) Is that the best way of doing it? Who knows. But it's sure as hell more fair than a one and done type system.

As to ****ing off a union rep and not being represented, legally speaking, this cannot happen. If a pilot wants representation for a disciplinary action the union by law must provide it. It doesn't matter if the guy was caught stealing headsets and selling them on eBay, he still has a right to representation. If the union doesn't provide that they are in deep trouble with the feds.

At my airline, I can only think of about 1 or 2 people that were outright fired in the last 5 years. There were many more that lost their jobs for one reason or for another, but they resigned which will help them gain employment in the future. As we all know, once you get fired from a 121 carrier, you're facing a huge uphill battle for another airline job. A resignation is a different story -- maybe a few questions on an interview but that's it.

It saddens me to hear how many people get fired at SkyWest, and what's worse is all the pilots who support that draconian form of discipline, thinking that it will never happen to them.