Submitted by Fox First at Ten on December 4th
By By JOHN ROGERSAssociated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) - The mayor of Los Angeles has joined talks aimed at ending an 8-day strike that's paralyzed the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Union spokesman Craig Merrilees says Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa flew back to the U.S. from a South American trip and joined contract talks at midnight. The talks have continued right through into Tuesday morning.
Merrilees says the mayor's efforts have helped bring both sides closer together but there's still much work to do before a settlement might be reached.
Meanwhile, union clerical workers continue to strike 10 terminals at the nation's busiest port complex and dockworkers won't cross picket lines.
Cargo worth hundreds of millions of dollars is not moving through the ports each day.
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