Bush To Decide On Dock Issue Today

A board of inquiry hand-picked by President Bush told the White House today that a labor standoff between the West Coast longshoremen and shippers has no chance of ending soon. A senior administration official says President Bush tentatively has decided to seek the injunction seeking an 80 day “cooling off period” to end the lockout at all 29 West Coast ports. The White House expects to announce the decision at 1:00 pm. That would mark the first presidential effort in a quarter-century to end a work stoppage under the Taft-Hartley Act. The board´s brief report does not go into detail about the economic and national security impact of the shutdown, but it does hold out little hope for a resolution of the conflict.