Free Republic

Growing lines of container ships continued to line up outside major U.S. ports on Thursday as the biggest dockworker strike in nearly 50 years entered its third day. The choke points are threatening shortages of everything from bananas to auto parts and are anticipated to grow in coming days if no resolution is forthcoming. Reuters reports no negotiations were scheduled between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and employers, but the port owners, under pressure from the White House to hike their pay offer to land a deal, signaled they were open to new talks.

Dozens of container ships are piling up outside Germany’s largest seaport by volume, known as the Port of Hamburg. It’s the third busiest port in Europe and the 15th largest globally and could be plunged into chaos next week as dockworkers may strike. German newspaper Die Welt reports congestion at Hamburg is worsening, and container ships have to wait two weeks before entering the port. “The waiting times are unsatisfactory,” a spokesman for shipping company Hapag-Lloyd said, referring to Hamburg. Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA), a top European port and transport logistics company, said the reason for increasing congestion...

Johnny Weissmuller Jr., a San Francisco longshoreman and son of the famed actor and Olympic swimmer, has died at age 65. Mr. Weissmuller, who died from liver cancer Friday, is probably best known because his father won five Olympic gold medals in swimming and later starred in 12 Tarzan films. He died in 1984 of pulmonary edema. But the younger Mr. Weissmuller also led a full and eclectic life, serving in the Navy, appearing in film, television and stage roles and working as a longshoreman on Bay Area docks. More recently, he wrote a book about his father. Mr. Weissmuller's...