Longshoremen seek compensation for lost wages in lawsuit over Key Bridge collapse

BALTIMORE -- Baltimore longshoremen are speaking out after a lawsuit was filed on their behalf against the owner and manager of the M/V Dali, the cargo ship that caused the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and blocked vessel traffic through the busy port for weeks.

The lawsuit, filed ahead of Tuesday's deadline for roughly 2,200 members of the International Longshoremen's Association union, 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," longshoreman Ryan Hale said.

Impacts on longshoremen

The class action claim states that even though the port has since reopened, the workload available for longshoremen is not the same. Longshoremen said if they don't get enough hours, they don't get proper benefits.

"To not be able to receive all of the benefits and no ships coming in, it just hurts financially," said longshoreman Anthony Wynn.

Around 1:30 a.m. on March 26, the Dali lost power before crashing into Baltimore's iconic bridge, causing it to collapse into the Patapsco River, killing six construction workers.

"I'll never forget getting up in the morning, and turning on the news," Hale said. "I had to flip the channels twice to make sure it wasn't a horror movie."

Looming strike

The longshoremen's lawsuit comes with thousands of dockworkers across the U.S. East and Gulf coasts threatening to strike next week.

More lawsuits filed

More than a dozen other lawsuits have been filed against Grace Ocean Ltd., and Synergy Marine Group, the Singapore-based owner and manager of the Dali, in an attempt to hold them accountable.

In April, the companies took steps to try and limit their financial liability in the tragedy to $43.67 million.

"We're standing in the same shoes as everybody else, with one exception, we're front line," said civil rights attorney Billy Murphy, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of Baltimore's longshoremen.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.