Possible strike could hinder port activity

LOS ANGELES According to reports, representatives for a clerical union and some of the world's largest shipping lines and terminal operators who work at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif. failed to reach a contract deal by the union's midnight deadline Monday. Although talks continued after the deadline, there was reportedly no disruption of port activities as workers remained on the job.

If an agreement isn't reached, the approximately 750 clerks who work at the ports would strike, severely hindering operations at the complex that accounts for 40% of all cargo container traffic coming into the United States.

In 2002, a 10-day lockout involving the West Coast longshore workers cost the nation's economy an estimated $1 billion to $2 billion a day.