A worker who calls someone else the "N-word" on the job often gets fired

[allodial]

If it came to my court, I'd uphold his being fired only if he directed at someone else. But the way he used it as I looked at it again, a simple reprimand on the basis of work professionalism should suffice. However, whether its two Hispanics, Jews, Blacks, Asian or so-called "Gays" making slurs against each other I'd uphold a firing in such a case. Consider two "Blacks" using the n-word might encourage some Irish-American to use it with harmless intent--next thing 'brawl', lawsuit over 'racism'--umm no. There is a principle: "Settle it at the lowest level." IMHO, the employer did just that.

"Sorry" you're not on movie set, you're at work--be professional."

Gordon met with city officials when they told him he was fired.

"Downtown has zero tolerance for the word you used," DPW Deputy Commissioner Martin Davis told Gordon at the January meeting. "White people get fired for using that word, and now they're holding you to it. They are not tolerating that and they will not put up with it. There's no wiggle room out of that one."

"It's still a use in the work place," he said. "Even if he was singing a Jay-Z song, it's still in the work place. If you're in the work space, the language has to be appropriate for that space."

Well, really, I'd have to concur. It promotes professionalism and equity.