Bush Acts on Docks, But Retailers Facing A Six-Week Backlog

WASHINGTON — Retailers and other importers will soon be getting their cargo unloaded from the West Coast ports, after a federal judge Tuesday afternoon approved President Bush’s plan to get the dock workers back on the job.

Judge William Alsup in San Francisco ordered union members back to work at the 29 ports and an 80-day cooling off period under the Taft-Hartley Act, as Bush requested Tuesday afternoon. A hearing was held in U.S. District Court in San Francisco at 4 p.m., Pacific Standard Time.