Teamsters Local 272 Stands Up to Workplace Racism Tweet

As a security guard at Terence Cardinal Cooke nursing home, Teamsters Local 272 member Wayne Knight ensures that residents and staff are safe at work, and that no unauthorized visitors are allowed into the building. In the course of carrying out those duties on one April day, he got an unwelcome and offensive response from a visiting doctor.

When Knight asked the doctor to show ID, he was shown an ID with a picture of a monkey on it, Patch reports. Knight is black, and the doctor is white.

“When we heard about the incident, which has happened before with this doctor, we acted quickly,” said Matthew Bruccoleri, Secretary-Treasurer and Principal Officer of Teamsters Local 272.

“Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center has notified us that this doctor will not be allowed on premises any more and the patients will be attended to other doctors. We take racism and discrimination in the workplace very seriously. Our members should not be subjected to discrimination in the course of their work and the facility rightfully took action.”

Teamsters Local 272 represents 7,500 workers in the New York City region, including in the parking and rental car industries.