BALTIMORE — Emergency personnel continue to work non-stop at the site of the Key Bridge after a cargo ship collided with it causing it to collapse last Tuesday.
Aside from the recovery and salvage efforts, many businesses and workers are trying to figure out their next steps. And with no timeline as to when the Port of Baltimore will re-open to vessel traffic, nearly 2,000 longshoremen are anxiously waiting to learn when they’ll be able to get back to work.
It was just in February that Maryland Governor Wes Moore touted the record-breaking year at the Port of Baltimore with 52.3 million tons of foreign cargo worth $80 billion handled in 2023.
The Port was also the nationwide leader in auto imports and exports with more than 847,000 cars and light trucks that passed through there. However, progress has come to an immediate halt as the Key Bridge is now in pieces in the Patapsco River.
“Maryland’s economy and Maryland’s workers rely on us to move quickly and it’s not just Maryland that’s being impacted,” said Governor Moore.
Peter Kitzmiller, president of the Maryland Automobile Dealers Association, doesn’t anticipate supply chain disruptions like we saw during the COVID-19 pandemic, but auto delivery deadlines could get longer.
“So the vehicles are built, it just may take a little bit longer for them to get to dealers across the country. And this wouldn't affect Maryland dealers any more than it would a dealer in Ohio, for example. These cars come through and go all over the country, so it is going to have an impact. I think it's going to be a shorter term impact than in some of the other things,” Kitzmiller said.
Purchase power is also an anticipated consequence. Many people who might have been in the market for a car will have to hold off as thousands are out of work while the Port of Baltimore is closed to vessel traffic.
Salvage efforts are well underway with more cranes lifting debris out of the water, and a temporary channel has been established for emergency vessels to expedite operations. The channel is currently not wide or deep enough for cargo traffic.
“We are not getting any kind of ballpark yet. That channel needs to be opened within the maximum of four weeks to get these ships back in here and get the men and women of the ILA back to work, get the economy for the state rolling,” said Scott Cowan, president of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) Local 333.
“What happens after four weeks?” asked WMAR-2 News Mallory Sofastaii.
“It’s going to be harder to get the cargo back, it's going to be hard. It's going to be more pressure on the members to go find other jobs somewhere else to take care of their family and you can't blame them,” Cowan responded.
Cowan said his members are hourly workers and while there’s some work through Tradepoint Atlantic, a logistics center in Sparrows Point, it’s not enough.
“Today, we had probably 400 working out of 2,400,” said Cowan.
There are the current financial concerns like paying rent and buying groceries and there are the long-term concerns, including what happens if some of the work is permanently moved out of Baltimore.
“When you go to bed at night, what's keeping you awake?” Sofastaii asked Cowan.
“I have 2,400 people, and they all have families and they have kids and the ILA paid for everything, and the Port of Baltimore paid for everything for me when I was a child. I know what kind of struggle it’s going to be if the port doesn't bounce back for these families,” said Cowan. “My father worked here for 40 years.”
The union is holding a membership meeting Tuesday evening that’s just for members. Cowan said the state has been incredibly supportive with legislation to provide financial assistance to workers and setting up an unemployment insurance hotline, however, $430 a week isn’t going to fill that void.
The Small Business Administration also announced it opened a second business recovery center in Canton where owners can meet with SBA specialists to apply for low-interest disaster loans. Click below for more information on the centers’ locations and hours.
RELATED: Small business recovery centers open to provide resources after bridge collapse
And the Maryland Department of Labor has established an unemployment insurance hotline for impacted workers. Call (667) 930-5989 from 8 am - 5 pm, Monday-Friday, or file online in BEACON.
