White House hails West Coast ports agreement

A tentative agreement was reached late Friday between ship owners and dockworkers on the West Coast, at least temporarily ending a standoff the White House feared would have dramatic repercussions for the economy.

“This is great news for the parties involved in the negotiation and a huge relief for our economy – particularly the countless American workers, farmers, and businesses that have been affected by the dispute and those facing even greater disruption and costs with further delays,” said White House press secretary Josh Earnest.

The White House had dispatched Labor Secretary Tom Perez to California to broker a deal between the two sides in the dispute. Perez told reporters late Friday that the West Coast ports would return to normal business hours by Saturday evening.

In recent months, the western ports have been plagued by shutdowns and a heavy backlog of items that needed to be unloaded. The administration feared that without a resolution, the clash would slow recent economic gains.

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