Baltimore dockworkers, still impacted by Key Bridge collapse, describe emotions about looming strike

By Kelsey Kushner

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    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Baltimore longshoremen, still recovering from the impacts of the Key Bridge collapse, expressed their concerns about a looming strike that could be devastating to the nation’s consumer supply.

Thousands of dockworkers along the East and Gulf coasts, including in Baltimore, could strike if a new labor agreement is not reached by Tuesday, October 1, with shipping companies represented by the U.S. Maritime Alliance.

The International Longshoreman’s Association, which represents 45,000 dockworkers at three dozen U.S. ports, wants better wages and protection from job-killing automation.

“I think once we exhaust our savings, I mean, we don’t know what the next move is going to be, so were are quite unprepared in all honesty,” said Baltimore longshoreman Alonzo Key.

Dockworkers at the Port of Baltimore lost wages because of the port’s closure following the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse last March. Next week, the port could once again see production come to a halt.

East Coast and Gulf Coast ports handle roughly 43% of all U.S. imports and bring in billions of dollars worth of consumer goods, ranging from car parts, to produce and pharmaceutical drugs. A strike could also mean higher shipping costs and prices.

“In terms of a strike, which we hope to avoid, everyone starts back at zero,” said Baltimore longshoreman Ryan Hale.

Some of the longshoremen told WJZ they are prepared to strike but are nervous because they don’t know when their next paycheck will come.

Alonzo Key said the dockworkers want to be compensated appropriately for the dangerous work they do.

Union workers at ports on the East Coast and Gulf Coast earn a base wage of $39 an hour after six years on the job. That is significantly less than their unionized West Coast peers, who make $54.85 an hour — a rate that will increase to $60.85 in 2027, excluding overtime and benefits, according to CBS News.

“There are no second chances at the Port of Baltimore,” Key said. “It’s an extremely dangerous job.”

Baltimore’s longshoremen filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against Grace Ocean Ltd., and Synergy Marine Group, the Singapore-based owner and manager of the cargo ship that crashed into the Key Bridge, causing it to collapse, on March 26.

The lawsuit, filed by civil rights attorney Billy Murphy, claims the longshoremen should be compensated for lost wages while the port was closed.

“This is equivalent to a longshoreman to what the world experienced during COVID when everything stopped,” Ryan Hale said.

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