OK to Fire Worker for Intimidating Statements to Manager

An Ontario plant worker made inappropriate remarks to her manager after learning that she had been suspended 5 days for carelessly packing defective products. You’re a wicked person, she told him, and wicked things happen to wicked people and intimidated that she just might set the plant on fire. The manager took the statements as a threat and called the police. But the worker, who had a disciplinary record, refused to apologize.  The arbitrator concluded that the worker had intended to intimidate the manager into rescinding the suspension. And given her lack of remorse, firing her was appropriate [Plastipak Industries Inc. United Steelworkers Union (Jemison Grievance), [2012] O.L.A.A. No. 282, June 7, 2012].