White House might block dock strike

By Leigh Strope
Associated Press

The goods crossing the docks at Los Angeles, above, and Long Beach, Calif., the world's third-largest facility, represent nearly 8 percent of the nation's GDP and 35 percent all U.S. container traffic. Both would be affected by a strike. Associated Press

The administration is exploring several options to intervene to keep cargo moving, though the most likely is for President Bush to declare a national economic emergency, forcing a strike delay for 80 days.

The last time such authority was invoked under the Taft-Hartley Act was 1978, when President Carter unsuccessfully tried to end a national coal strike.

The Bush administration has convened a special task force with officials from the Commerce, Labor, Transportation and Homeland Security departments, and has been exploring federal intervention, monitoring talks and meeting with both sides, the officials said, insisting on anonymity.

"But there's a long way between pulling the trigger on anything versus laying out your options," a Labor official said. "This is the most significant labor negotiation economically for this country that could possibly take place. You can't point out one that is of more significance."

A work slowdown or walkout by the 10,500 port workers represented by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union could have a devastating effect on the world economy. The union's contract with the Pacific Maritime Association controls the flow of about $260 billion in cargo through America's 29 major West Coast ports.

Two shipping lines — Matson Navigation Co. and CSX Lines — serve Hawai'i via the West Coast, bringing in more than 90 percent of the state's goods. Hawai'i longshore workers and companies have agreed to extend their contract as talks continue.

The contract expired July 1, and so far there's been little progress toward a new agreement.

Technology has been a major focus of negotiations. Pacific Rim trade is projected to double in the next decade, and shipping lines complain that West Coast ports won't be able to keep up unless they upgrade to more closely match their more automated Asian peers.

"The government has no business in these negotiations," said union spokesman Steve Stallone. "We never even got a chance to begin negotiating before they started interfering. This is why negotiations are completely deadlocked."

Stallone said a Labor Department lawyer, in meetings with union negotiators, also has threatened to run the ports with Navy personnel or back legislation that would weaken the union's ability to strike, should a slowdown or walkout occur.

"The Department of Labor is supposed to represent workers in the administration," Stallone said. "But what we have is a Department of Labor whose attorney wants to overthrow the National Labor Relations Act, the very law he's supposed to be enforcing."