Anti-War Protest Stops West Coast Shipping

Thu, May 1, 2008 at 9:45:50 am PDT

Port workers staging an anti-war protest have apparently shut down all cargo operations on the west coast.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Terminal operators say West Coast cargo traffic has come to a halt as port workers stage daylong anti-war protests.

Pacific Maritime Association spokesman Steve Getzug says thousands of dockworkers did not show up to work Thursday morning, leaving ships and truck drivers idle at ports from Long Beach to Seattle.

The West Coast ports are the nation’s principal gateway for cargo container traffic from the Far East.