SURFERS WALK PAST IDLE SHIPS DURING LONGSHORE UNION LOCKOUT IN CALIFORNIA, 2002-10-01 (photo)

Surfers walk along the sand October 1, 2002 at Sunset Beach, California, as loaded container ships sit anchored offshore. The Pacific Maritime Association has suspended work at West Coast ports indefinitely until a new contract agreement is reached with the International Longshore Union. Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of cargo has been idled after 29 West Coast ports were shut down by an indefinite management lockout order, amid a dispute over wages, benefits and working conditions. President George W. Bush said on Tuesday he was concerned that a labor dispute at major West Coast ports could hurt the U.S. economy and urged the parties to use federal mediators to resolve their problems. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith RG/GN