Worldwide Dockers Community Expresses Support and Solidarity to ILA Members in the Port of Baltimore Severely Impacted by Key Bridge Collapse; ILA President Harold Daggett Reaches Out to White House and Maryland Governor For Aid To Baltimore ILA Longshore Workers

March 29, 2024
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NORTH BERGEN, NJ – (March 28, 2024) World-wide dockworker unions have offered their support and solidarity to the more than 3,000 ILA longshore workers at the Port of Baltimore who face a sudden and unexpected challenge in the wake of the collapse of the Key Bridge earlier this week. From Willie Adams, President of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union to Dennis Daggett and Jordi Aragunde, the two leaders of the International Dockworkers Council, ILA members at the Port of Baltimore are learning they are not facing this challenge alone.

“While there will be difficult challenges to meet for our ILA longshore families in the Port of Baltimore, knowing we face them with the support of so many in the International Dockworker Union family gives us renewed strength and hope,” said International President Harold Daggett.

Less than 24 hours after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after being struck by a massive cargo ship, the ILA leader already reached out to the Biden Administration and Governor Wes Moore, seeking aid for the more than 3,000 ILA members who stand to lose manhours as operations at the Port of Baltimore were suspended.

ILA International Vice President Scott Cowan met with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg when he visited the Port of Baltimore on Tuesday. Senior officials from U.S. Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su also reached out to President Harold Daggett and the iLA offering support.

The Maryland Port Administration reported on Thursday that vessel traffic into and out of the Port of Baltimore is still suspended.

While the reopening of vessel traffic at the Port of Baltimore remains unclear, the messages of support to ILA members there is certain and strong.

“On behalf of the entire membership of the ILWU, I write to express our heartfelt sympathy and support for the iLA, your members who work and live in Maryland, and the broader community following the collapse of the Baltimore Key Bridge yesterday,” wrote William E. Adams, International President, ILWU. “Those who lost their lives and those who are still missing are in our thoughts and prayers.”

“It is with great sorrow that we address in these moments of profound sadness and dismay learning about the tragic accident that occurred early Tuesday morning, where a container ship collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge, tragically resulting in loss of life,” wrote the leadership of the International Dockworkers Council, led by Dennis A. Daggett, IDC General Coordinator and Jordi Aragunde, IDC International Labor Coordinator. “On behalf of the over 140,000 dockworkers who are part of the IDC, we wish to extend our deepest condolences and solidarity to all those affected by this heartbreaking event.”

“We all mourn the loss of lives because of the Key Bridge collapse and join you in offering prayers for the victims and the loved ones they left behind,” ILA President Daggett wrote in his response.