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Statement by the President on the Longshoremen's Strike.

October 04, 1962

THE BOARD of Inquiry I established in the present longshore dispute has reported to me that there has not been agreement on any of the major issues which divide the parties and that a quick settlement of the dispute is not likely.

Reports that I have received concerning the present and potential impact of this strike clearly indicate to me that its continuation would imperil the national health and safety.

I have therefore directed the Attorney General to seek an injunction against this strike under the emergency provisions of the Taft-Hartley Act.

While an injunction will return the longshoremen to work on our Atlantic and Gulf coasts for 80 days, it will not settle the dispute which caused the strike. It is now the responsibility of labor and management in the industry, with the help of appropriate governmental assistance, to resolve their differences. To help them do this, I have requested the members of the Board of Inquiry to work with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service in an attempt to bring the parties together in agreement.

I wish to thank the members of the Board of Inquiry for their diligent and expeditious handling of their report to me, and for their willingness to help resolve this dispute.

Note: The President's letter to the Attorney General directing him to petition for an injunction in the longshoremen's strike was dated October 4, 1962, and made public by the White House the same day.

John F. Kennedy, Statement by the President on the Longshoremen's Strike. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/235779

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