SAN FRANCISCO -- Faced with a judge's order to reopen West Coast ports, longshoremen and shipping companies now confront the mammoth task of heaving billions of dollars worth of idle cargo -- from auto parts to bananas -- back into the nation's economy.
Workers may need as long as 2 1/2 months to clear the backlog of goods caused by the 10-day lockout at 29 major Pacific ports. The labor dispute prompted President Bush to intervene Tuesday and may have cost the fragile U.S. economy up to $2 billion a day.
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