Canary Seeks Intervention in Port Closure

	West Coast Port Shutdown
	Canary Seeks Intervention in Port Closure (Oct. 2) West Coast Port Shutdown Enters Fourth Day (Oct. 2) West Coast Ports Still Closed for Business (Oct. 1) West Coast Ports Lock Out Workers (Sept. 30) (Note: To return to this story, click the "Back" button on your browser.)

William J. Canary, president of the American Trucking Associations, sent a letter to President Bush Wednesday seeking his intervention into the potentially crippling West Coast port lockout, the American Trucking Associations said.

Citing the possible economic harm a protracted shutdown could do, Canary asked the president to “strongly urge” the Pacific Maritime Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union to resume working on a new contract while extending the old one.

"Failing that, we would strongly urge you to exercise your Executive authority to invoke the 80-day 'cooling off period' authorized under the Taft-Hartley Act," the letter said.

The letter cited estimates that work stoppage at the ports causes approximately $1 billion in damage to the economy each day.

"The rate of economic damage increases with each day that the freight between carrier modes (trucks, ships and trains) fails to move," Canary wrote. "The ripple effect is considerable."

Canary also pointed to the possible risk to homeland security posed by cargo accumulating unregulated at America’s ports, saying that it only makes ports even more inviting targets for terrorists.

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