Possible strike at docks would cripple key U.S. ports, hurt economy

[xchrom]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/possible-strike-at-docks-would-cripple-key-us-ports-hurt-economy/2012/12/27/7c9074fe-5041-11e2-8b49-64675006147f_story.html

Thousands of dockworkers from Baltimore to Houston are threatening to go on strike Sunday over their pay, a move that could throttle an array of key ports and disrupt commerce at a critical juncture for the economy.

Nearly half of the nation’s ocean-bound container traffic runs through the 14 threatened ports on the East Coast and the Gulf Coast, and a work stoppage would crimp imports of household goods, clothing and frozen foods, among other items. The biggest hub, in the New York area, handled $208 billion worth of goods last year.

A widespread strike by the International Longshoremen’s Association, the first in decades, could put the White House in a bind. Scores of businesses have urged President Obama to do whatever it takes to prevent the ports from closing — including using emergency powers under a 1947 law to intervene. But such action by the president could alienate union allies.

“For organized labor, that tends to be the nuclear option,” said Harley Shaiken, a labor expert at University of California at Berkeley. “That would not be received well at all.”

[Sherman A1]

1. Well,

one supposes that a strike could be avoided by management by negotiating a reasonable contract with the workers.

[xchrom]

2. +1