White House to intervene in West Coast ports strike

SAN FRANCISCO - With the West Coast dock strike reaching a critical point, the White House announced on Saturday that Labor Secretary Thomas Perez would start talks with the two sides.

"The negotiations over the functioning of the West Coast Ports have been taking place for months with the Administration urging the parties to resolve their differences," White House spokesman Eric Schultz said in a statement. "Out of concern for the economic consequences of further delay, the President has directed his Secretary of Labor Tom Perez travel to California to meet with the parties to urge them to resolve their dispute quickly at the bargaining table."

"Secretary Perez is already in contact with the parties and will keep the President fully updated," Schultz added.

Dockworkers and port operators have been in negotiations over a new contract since May, but talks have stalled, resulting in accusations of work slowdowns and lockouts.

The dispute has caused back-ups in shipping, turning the waterways off the coast into parking lots for container ships and other vessels.

Retailers, concerned about having to reroute shipments, if not getting them at all, expressed gratitude for the White House stepping in.

"We welcome the administration's attention to this important national and international economic and supply chain issue and hope it recommits the two sides to reaching a deal," Jonathan Gold, the National Retail Federation's vice president for supply chain, said in a statement. "The slowdowns, congestion and suspensions at the West Coast ports need to end now."