ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Wes Moore on Friday announced the start of the Port of Baltimore Worker Support Program, which will provide temporary cash assistance to eligible workers who have lost income and work hours due to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. The $15 million program, established through executive order and authorized by the Maryland Protecting Opportunities and Regional Trade (PORT) Act, will be administered by the Maryland Department of Labor.

“This new program will provide $430 in weekly relief to Port workers who have lost pay and work hours due to the Key Bridge collapse,” said Gov. Moore. “Our mission is to help as many people as we can during this difficult time – including Port workers who have already applied for unemployment insurance benefits; including Port workers who are receiving unemployment insurance; and including independent contractors and self-employed workers who work at the Port and are losing income because of the collapse.”

To be eligible for the Worker Support Program, individuals need to have worked at the Port of Baltimore at least 25 times or earned at least $5,000 from Port jobs between January 1 and March 26, 2024. Employees of Port businesses, independent contractors, solo owner-operators, and the self-employed who work at the Port’s public and private terminals are eligible for the Worker Support Program.

“Port of Baltimore workers are critical to our state and our economy. It’s urgent we get them the financial help they need now to support their families as they remain ready and available to get back to work when the Port fully reopens,” said Maryland Secretary of Labor Portia Wu. “The Department of Labor has been working around the clock to launch this effort, and we’ll be working just as hard to get applications processed and money out the door to the workers who need it.”

Information on the Port of Baltimore Worker Support Program, including the application, is available at https://labor.maryland.gov/portworkersupport.

The Maryland Department of Labor will open a temporary service center and provide in-person help to answer questions about eligibility and to fill out application forms starting on Monday, April 22, at noon. The service center is located at 2501 Broening Highway in Baltimore City. Beginning Tuesday, April 23, the site will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays until further notice.

Last week, the Maryland Department of Labor announced the launch of the Worker Retention Program to help Port of Baltimore businesses retain employees as the Port recovers from the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. As of Friday morning, 58 businesses have received approval for grant awards, totaling $4.54 million in assistance, which will protect the jobs of 824 Marylanders.

In addition to the Port of Baltimore Worker Support Program from the Maryland Department of Labor, three additional programs established by the governor’s executive order and authorized by the PORT Act will launch on Monday, April 22, through the Maryland Department of Commerce and the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.

More information on additional relief programs offered by the U.S. government, local governments, and financial institutions is available at https://response.maryland.gov/bridge.

Photo via Key Bridge Response 2024 Unified Command