"The crisis in our western ports is hurting the economy, it is hurting the security of our country, and the federal government must act," Bush said. He ordered Attorney General John Ashcroft to seek an injunction from the federal court in San Francisco.
If granted, the court's injunction would give shippers and longshoremen an 80-day cooling-off period in which to negotiate a settlement. The current contract expired on July 1.
It was the first request to use the Taft-Hartley Act's emergency powers since 1978. It's the first time in the 56-year history of the law that it's been used against a lockout by management, rather than a strike by workers. Read more about the act...
He's made of better stuff than the Democrats.