West Coast Port

For months, contract negotiations between a powerful union and multinational shipping lines progressed amicably in public, even though roughly 20,000 West Coast dockworkers labored without a contract. Now the public harmony has been shattered, raising fears that a strike or lockout could close ports up and down the coast and cause economic pain. The Pacific Maritime Assn., which represents employers operating port terminals and shipping lines, has accused the International Longshore and Warehouse Union of deliberately slowing operations at four major West Coast ports, including Los Angeles and Long Beach — the nation's busiest complex.

Retailers are rushing to bring holiday merchandise into the U.S., to protect against potential disruptions arising from ongoing contract talks between West Coast longshore labor and marine terminal operators. U.S. ports currently are experiencing their highest monthly container volumes in at least five years, according to figures released yesterday by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. They reported a total of nearly 1.5 million boxes moving through the ports in June.