Can Port Workers Get Disability While on Strike?

Recently, Baltimore port workers joined the nationwide strike to secure better pay, better benefits and ultimately a better life for them and their families. Over 45,000 workers in 36 different cities stopped work to protest how they’ve been treated in their contracts. Shipping companies and other corporations, including in Baltimore, have been raking in huge profits and port workers are tired of being on the low end of the totem pole. This seems like a just cause, but what can the dock workers do for income while they are on strike? Well, if they have a medical condition that worsens during or as a result of the strike, they could potentially get Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). Read on to see what a Disability Lawyer in Baltimore has to say about potential benefits for dock workers who are on strike.

The Strike and What It Means 

International Longshoreman’s Association President Harold Daggett has been on record with dock workers’ gripes about how they supported the industry during COVID. “Everybody went to work during COVID,” said Daggett, talking about dock workers being essential, “nobody stayed home… well now [we] want to be compensated for that.” His point is that corporations cleaned up, charging record fees during COVID, and dock workers just got their regular salaries. But working class people have had enough. Longshoremen lost wages when the Key Bridge in Baltimore got destroyed, but the shipping companies are getting bailed out by the federal government. “This is an unacceptable double standard,” says Emmett Irwin, a Disability Lawyer in Baltimore, “and I don’t blame the port workers for going on strike.” 

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) for Port Workers

Most port workers are W-2 employees, which means they’ve paid Social Security taxes and Medicare taxes through automatic payroll deductions. If the workers have worked 5 out of the last 10 years, then that is the first step of eligibility for SSDI. The second step is medical: one must have a severe medical condition to qualify for Social Security Disability. That is usually no problem for dock workers, who get banged up pretty regularly. However, you also must be expected to be out of work for 12 months or more. Strikes generally don’t last that long, although who knows what might happen. Also, some workers that go on strike might have a medical condition that worsens and they’d rather retire than go back to work. If something like that happens, SSDI becomes a real possibility. Older longshoremen, 50 years old or older, will have an easier time than younger workers. For a better explanation of that Social Security Disability rule, click here. You could also contact us, a Disability Lawyer in Baltimore, if you have any questions about your individual situation.

How to Get Help Finding a Disability Lawyer in Baltimore 

If you need representation or just have some questions, call Emmett B. Irwin, Disability Lawyer – Baltimore for a free case evaluation. Whatever kind of work you do, whether or not you’re a port worker, you can count on us!