Baltimore's billion-dollar disaster through the eyes of a longshoreman | Working People

Nearly two months have passed since the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, and the city is still reeling from the disaster. The bridge collapse immediately rendered the Port of Baltimore inoperable, threatening hundreds of thousands of jobs, and billions in wages, business revenue, and state taxes. While channels into the port have begun to open back up slowly, workers on the waterfront have been deeply affected, and the road to recovery will be long. As questions linger about the root causes of the Key Bridge collapse and what sort of future Baltimore can salvage for itself, TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez and Marc Steiner, host of The Marc Steiner Show, team up to speak with John Blom, a veteran longshoreman who worked in the Port of Baltimore for over 30 years, to get a workers' history of the port and its meaning to the city it nurtured. Additional links/info below…Kari Lydersen, In These Times, "Making waves: Baltimore longshoremen fight for democracy within union"Dominick Phillippe-August, WMAR, “Nearly 140,000 jobs could be impacted by Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse”Dan Belson, Baltimore Sun, “Largest channel so far opens for 24/7 vessel traffic into Port of Baltimore after Key Bridge collapse”Michael Sainato, The Guardian, “Maryland lawmakers draft emergency bill to help Baltimore port workers”Permanent links below...Leave us a voicemail and we might play it on the show!Labor Radio / Podcast Network website, Facebook page, and Twitter pageIn These Times website, Facebook page, and Twitter pageThe Real News Network website, YouTube channel, podcast feeds, Facebook page, and Twitter pageFeatured Music...Jules Taylor, "Working People" Theme SongStudio Production: David HebdenPost-Production: Jules Taylor