Los Angeles, Long Beach ports still idled by strike

Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, December 4, 2012

LOS ANGELES — A strike by clerks that has idled much of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif., was entering its eighth day today as shippers and striking workers continued talks aimed at ending the dispute, Reuters reported.

An 800-member clerical unit of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 63 walked off the job on Nov. 27, and 10,000 longshoremen and other union members refused to cross picket lines, the news service reported.

The strike has shut down 10 of 14 container terminals at the ports, which are key entry points for goods shipped from Asia, including home furnishings.

Some ships have diverted to other West Coast ports, including Ensenada, Mexico, the Los Angeles Times reported.