*EPF203 10/08/2002
Transcript: Bush to Seek Injunction against Port Work Stoppage
(West Coast labor dispute hurts entire U.S. economy, he says) (740)

President Bush has decided to seek an injunction temporarily ending a work stoppage at U.S. West Coast ports that he said was hurting the entire U.S. economy.

In October 8 remarks Bush said he was "directing Attorney General [John] Ashcroft to seek an injunction under the Taft-Hartley Act, ending the lockout and requiring work at the ports to resume at a normal pace."

Operators shut down the ports September 29 in response to an alleged work slow-down by longshoremen. The two sides have been deadlocked since May over the operators' plan to expand use of computers and scanners at the docks.

Under the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act, a federal court could issue an injunction requiring the port operators to reopen the ports and the longshoremen to return to work for up to 80 days. If the two sides have not agreed on resolving their dispute in that time, the injunction expires and either side could resume work stoppage.

While the administration would continue working to resolve the dispute, Bush said, "the ultimate responsibility for an agreement lies with the worker representatives and the port operators."

The Taft-Hartley Act was last invoked by President Carter in 1979.

(In the following text, "billion" equals 1,000 million.)

Following is the White House transcript of the president's remarks:

(begin transcript)

President's Remarks on West Coast Ports
Outside the Oval Office

THE PRESIDENT: I appreciate my Cabinet secretaries joining me here for this announcement. For over a week our ports along the Pacific Coast have been shut down. These ports handle more then $300 billion a year in trade. The work stoppage is hurting our entire economy. It is hurting truckers and rail operators who carry goods to other parts of America. It's hurting farmers and ranchers and manufacturers, retailers and consumers who make, buy, and sell the products that pass through our ports.

The crisis in our western ports is hurting the economy. It is hurting the security of our country, and the federal government must act. Americans are working hard every day to bring our economy back from recession. This nation simply cannot afford to have hundreds of billions of dollars a year in potential manufacturing and agricultural trade sitting idle. We can't afford it. Because of the situation at the West Coast ports, our economy is already losing up to $1 billion a day -- economic losses that translate into lost jobs.

The farm economy alone is losing a thousand jobs a day. Automotive plants cannot get all the parts they need, and they're laying off workers. Stores cannot begin stocking up for the holiday season. All of this will only worsen as time goes on.

The work stoppage also threatens our national defense. These ports load the ships that carry supplies to our men and women in uniform. These ports also receive parts and materials used by our defense contractors to complete projects and maintain military equipment.

Federal mediators have been trying to get the workers and port operators to resume operations while they negotiate their differences. The Secretary of Labor has been working hard to get people back to work. Unfortunately, the union and the management have been unable to reach an agreement. After a lot of work, particularly by our Labor Department and Secretary, after a lot of discussions, we have been unable to bring the two parties together, and therefore stronger action is required. Because the operation of western ports is vital to our economy and to our military, I have determined that the current situation imperils our national health and safety.

I have appointed a board of inquiry to investigate the issues at stake. Today, the board submitted an official report stating each party's position. I am now directing Attorney General Ashcroft to seek an injunction under the Taft-Hartley Act, ending the lockout and requiring work at the ports to resume at a normal pace. This dispute between management and labor cannot be allowed to further harm the economy and force thousands of working Americans from their jobs. This injunction will allow the parties more time to resolve their differences. It is not, however, a permanent solution to the problem, and the federal government will continue working with both sides to pursue a settlement. The ultimate responsibility for an agreement lies with the worker representatives and the port operators. I expect both sides to put the concerns of our national health and safety first, and work in good faith to resolve their differences as quickly as possible.

Thank you very much.

(end transcript)

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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