Court Order to Reopen West Coast Ports

	West Coast Port Shutdown
	West Coast Ports to Reopen (Oct. 9) Bush Seeking Court-Ordered Port Opening (Oct. 8) Port Decision Could Come Tuesday (Oct. 8) Bush Intervening in Port Lockout (Oct. 7) West Coast Port Closings Idle Many Truckers (Oct. 4) West Coast Port Users Launch Contingency Plans (Oct. 4) Impact of Port Shutdown Widens (Oct. 4) (Note: To return to this story, click the "Back" button on your browser.)

Members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union were expected to return to work at 6 pm PDT Wednesday at 29 ports operated by the Pacific Maritime Association, news services reported, but PMA spokesmen said it could take up to nine weeks to clear a backlog that has built up since a lockout began Sept. 29.

The return comes as a result of a court order issued in response to President Bush’s invocation of the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act, which allows imposition of an 80-day cooling off period in labor disputes that potentially threaten national security.

With the union returning to work, it is not a sure thing that retailers will be able get all the goods they require. A spokesman for the National Retail Federation said that many stores won’t have the merchandise they were expected for their Columbus Day sales.

About 200 ships were anchored off the West Coast were waiting to be unloaded at 29 West Coast ports from San Diego to Seattle.

With the backlog, some Japanese exporters are planning to continue airfreight shipments to get goods into the United States and the parts to their U.S. factories, Bloomberg reported.

Since the ports closed on Sept. 29, the U.S. economy may have lost $19.4 billion.