An African-American man was fired from his job after he referred to himself using the N word. Todd Gordon of New York, who was a Department of Public Works employee in Syracuse, said that he was fired for using the N word on himself during an argument with another employee.
Gordon was working as a street repairman for the city when another worker objected to their work assignments. The other worker entered the office of a supervisor to complain that he should have been assigned to drive a roller truck instead of a dump truck, Gordon said. The other worker, who is white, wanted to change the assignments with Gordon, who had less time at work.
Gordon was in the office and opposed. The other man called him a f******g punk, said Gordon. “You know what, man? I’m tired of this. You don’t like working with (N-word) like me,” Gordon responded angrily. The other man filed a grievance, and 4 months later, the city fired Gordon for using the racial slur.
DPW Commissioner Pete O’Connor wrote a letter to Gordon saying: “You initiated a verbal confrontation with another employee, you used a derogatory term, albeit in reference to yourself, you violated the workplace violence policy by using loud, disruptive or angry behavior or language that is clearly not part of the typical work environment,” according to Gordon. Despite using foul language towards Gordon, the other employee was not fired.
