By Mark Felsenthal and Roberta Rampton
WASHINGTON, Dec 28 (Reuters) - The White House on Friday
urged dock workers, port owners and shippers to resolve a labor
dispute that threatens to deteriorate into a strike that could
affect 15 ports on the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
"Federal mediators are assisting with the negotiations, and
we continue to monitor the situation closely and urge the
parties to continue their work at the negotiating table to get a
deal done as quickly as possible," White House spokesman Matt
Lehrich said.
Dock workers, port operators and shippers face a deadline on
Saturday for resolving the dispute.
The International Longshoremen's Association, the union
representing the dock workers, and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, a
group of shippers and port operators, are deadlocked over an
employment contract that expired at the end of September but has
been extended. The union has said that if the contract expires
without a resolution, it could call a strike a day later.
The White House had no comment on whether the president
would consider invoking federal law to impose a cooling off
period. Florida Governor Rick Scott, a Republican, asked
President Obama to invoke the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act, which
allows the president to prevent or interrupt a work stoppage.
The law calls for an 80-day cooling off period and
mediation.
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