if the longshoremen go on strike, we are talking about thousands. the cargo that comes in containers will not make it off the containers and into the storesch the economic impact would be huge -- stores. the economy imimpact would be -- impact would be huge. if a deal can't be reached thousands of dock workers will be walk off the job sunday morning. and at issue are the large containers and the payments longshoremen get for them. shipping companies usually pay royalties for the containers weight but they want to get rid of them something longshoremen are not willing to give up. economy impact would go well beyond the ports. >> the impact would be great on the dollar value side and on the cargo handling side but on the job side because these ports are major economic generators. >> reporter: and it's not just the port of baltimore we are talking about here. ports all a-- all along the east coast and gulf coast. up to 15,000 longshoremen could be going on strike. effective sunday morning. live in federal hill, linda so, abc2 news. >>> working together

and at issue are the large containers and the payments longshoremen get. shipping companies pay royalties to dock workers for the containers based on the weight. but they want to get rid of the royalties something longshoremen are not willing to give up. and if an agreement cannot be reached the economic impact from a strike would go well beyond our ports. >> the impact would be great on the dollar value side and on the job side because these ports are major economic generators. >> reporter: and it's not just the port of baltimore that's affected. we are talking about ports from main to texas up to 15,000 longshoremen could go on strike. live in federal hill, linda so, abc2 news. >>> tick to being four days and counting. today the president and congressional leaders will meet at the white house with the hopes of ending the stalemate of the fiscal cliff. they will attempt to reach an agreement to avoid the problem going into effect january 1st. if they don't, we will see massive tax increases and deep spending cuts. a number of economists worry the financia

so, if these -- if the longshoremen win, you're going to see prices rise across the board. it's inflationary and as a result gets passed on to you as a consumer, it does matter how these things get resolved. the last time we saw a big strike was the late '70s, during a stagflation period. similar to what we have now. the longshoremen last time they struck was in the '70s, it's all about dollars and cents rights now. >> right now the markets are down and futures are trading down and we'll know in a couple of moments when the markets open how they shake out. but the real concern right now. i think one of the reasons the markets is down in futures trading is concern about the fiscal cliff. what happens after the 1st of january to the markets if we go over the fiscal cliff? >> well, you know, it's -- you're going to see a sell off because it's going to be a hit on earnings. you always have to look at the news stories and does that affect forecasted earnings or interest rates? and this does all of that so this will be a negative on the stock market. forecasts are anywhere from a

ports from maine to texas up to 15,000 longshoremen could go on strike. live in federal hill, linda so, abc2 news. >>> for almost two months the threat of a fiscal cliff has been a topic of discussion even as no compromise appears to be in the cards. if our elected leaders fail to come through with a deal will it impact you and if so how. charley is live at the live desk and it could be a bigger deal than we realize. >> this could be a big deal indeed. for weeks now we have brought you back and forth here's only thing you need to know this morning. the gop is refusing to raise tacks on anyone and democrats don't want to cut funding to government programs. caught in the cross fire of this is all of us. you, me and come tuesday, all of our taxes will go up and here's how it could affect you. if you are living paycheck to paycheck with no room to cut expenses you could be in real trouble if this agreement is not reached. a failure to renew the bush era tax cuts could mean 2 to 4,000 dollars per year in increases for most americans. according to the towson un

longshoremen disagree. "it can be $15,000 per person. $200 million a year added to the cost of goods. that's a very significant number." if there's no compromise, a strike could leave goods headed for ports from boston to houston at sea and retailers with a headache. "if you have a container ship delayed two weeks, do you divert it to the west coast? that's an expensive option." and presidential intervention - unlikely. "i don't think president obama will get involved. it would be 'a betrayal' of organized labor." speaking of large travelers across oceans, ship traffic off california will be redirected next year to protect endangered whales which migrate along the coast. five whales died from collisions with ships in 2010. now, with support from the shipping industry, the changes will affect shipping lanes between san francisco and l.a. the fiscal fight is frustrating everyone from wall street to main street to capitol hill. but perhaps not for too much longer. reports say president obama will meet with con

deal can't be reached between the major shipping companies and a union representing nearly 15,000 longshoremen. >> the impact would be great on the dollar value side, on the cargo handling side but also on the job side because again these ports are major economic

royalties to the longshoremen for the containers...yments for current longshoremee and eliminate them for future hires. 3 the port of baltiiore ii one of maayland's largest eceonice ggrnerators so any type of p susppnsion or stoppageeof work would have an adverse effe. effect.the i-l-a represents nearly 15-thousand dockworkers along the east and gulf coasts... including 12-hundred in balttmmre. a texassman issfed up with thh fiscal cliff talk... o he's - doing omethiig about it. he's collecting cans. it won't problems, but s he tells a point. ... it's about maaing 3 (nats) in his unheattd garage, 85 year old ataaacio garcia is working toofix the fiical cliffa ((ats) one can at a time. (rrporter: how much money havv you sent the government?) a little bit over 3300 dollarss three thousand, one hundred, ninety seven dollars and 88 cents, to be exact. allltraaked on a lass three years,,garcia has been paying thh government 50 dollars a month of is postal service peesion and moneyyfrom cans he colleets. ww're paying absolutely too much inte

negotiations between longshoremen and the u.s. maritime all lines are not going well. if an agreement is not reached by sunday, 2000 workers in baltimore and thousands along the east coast could go on strike. that would mean a complete shutdown of all ports from maine to texas. the spokesperson says that the strike would only be partial and that would only affect cargo ship in containers. worker royalties for that type of container is a big sticking point. >> if containers remained to be the focal point, we began would be an advantage for us because we do have other cargo. >> the port of baltimore is plan to keep two terminals open tomorrow to allow as many trucks as possible to make a pickup, in case there is a strike. >> we are enjoying a quiet end to the work ek but we have a new storm system looming as we go into the weekend. a snow system that could bring more accumulation across the maryland area. notice this little patch of snow tracking through west virginia. it is changing over to is wanted moves over the mountains and it will basically fall apart, so i'm not

tom: the longshoremen seem to have a much stronger union than most. unions have seen the better days in the past, but the longshoremen, one report is they make about $125,000 on average, they have all their medical paid for. they are not normal in most labor contracts today. why are they so powerful? is it because of what can happen here as you have whole east coast, all the way around florida into houston? >> i think that is part of it, but unions have worked over the years with management on the contract, what is has been discussed and packages are between the union and management, they are a critical component; if we don't have ports that are operating and moving efficiently they will throw a wrench into the sim, and have a huge impact. tom: how far into the country? you are talking about the ports issue we showed map down from boston down to houston. but, you were talking about the truckers and so on. look at that, this is a big chunk of the nation, how far inland do they go? will we see retailers shelves that are empty? >> not just localized to t

the longshoremen union has expired -- extended their expiring contract by 30 days. it puts off a strike by more the 14,000 longshoremen at 50 ports across the country, including here in baltimore. a strike with the crippled operations at ports. it's reported major steps have been taken towards resolving this ongoing dispute. an abrupt end to the career of one long term maryland civil- rights leader. carl snowden will retire january 8. the office of the announcement earlier today. the decision comes amid legal problems. he was convicted last month of marijuana possession and has a court date for violating his probation in a drunk driving case. tonight was a reversal of fortune for morgan state university's president. the board of regents voted to renew his contract, weeks after voting not to. >> president wilson was diplomatic when i inquired about what led up to this controversy and why it suddenly ended in his favor, instead of pointing the finger at his critics, he took the high road. surely after the vote, dr. david wilson told us he is honored more as the univer

. >>> nearly 15,000 longshoremen from boston to houston will stay on the job from now. a federal mediator says those contracts will be extended into february. the longshoremen had been preparing to strike sunday and that would have been disastrous. the ports handle 40% of all u.s. container cargo. >>> there is a little news from capitol hill. the top leaders in both parties in the house and senate, agriculture committees have agreed to a one year extension of the 2008 farm bill that expired in october. that should head off the possible doubling of milk prices in the next months. americans face the prospect of paying $7 for a gallon of milk if a deal wasn't reached. >> $7? >>> good morning if you are just waking up. sales spiked this weekend in one of the area's biggest gun shows. more on that area, coming up. >>> the reason doctors say parents and schools need to keep extra efforts for students. keep it here. >> it feels sweet man you know. we have got so much more. >> the first time redskins have been champs since 99 and we did it in one year. the sky is the limit for

after that, that is when the longshoremen declared they would go on strike.would have been absolutely crushing to the u.s. economy right now. from boston, new york, new jersey, philadelphia, to houston texas. all of those ports would have been basically frozen, as far as the container shipping would have gone. that mess would have been layoffs and loss of income. of course, all of those consumer products in those containers such as electronics, auto parts, airline parts, frozen foods, clothing, manufacturing goods, all of that would have been frozen. prices going up for the remainder. this would have been a one, two, knockout punch. many experts. this would have absolutely triggered a recession. this container cliff, by all accounts, has been adverted by basically the last minute. that is great news for the ports, as well as, the u.s. commerce, jobs in the u.s. president did not get faced with the choice of invoking the tax which would have declared the strike illegal. he would have completely alienated all of that labor supporting he just had in the campaign

if negotiations between the maritime alliance and international longshoremen are not going well. unless an agreement is reached by midnight sunday, there would be a complete shutdown of all ports, from maine to texas. a report spokesperson said there is a possibility the strike would only be partial and would only affect cargo in containers because warranties for workers of that type of cargo is the big sticking point. that could avoid a stoppage of automobile shipments and cruise ship operations. >> if containers remained to be the focal point, we think it could be a bit of an advantage for us because we do have other cargo. >> the port of baltimore announced they are planning to keep two public terminals open tomorrow to us -- allow as many trucks to come in and get picked up in case there is a strike. kim dacey, wbal-tv 11 news. >> a contract remains in a coma this morning after being beaten inside a house and west baltimore. authorities found 57- year-old 57pearson unconscious inside the home last week. family members say he had gone to get an estimate on contract work when h

royalties for the containers based on weight but they want to get rid of the royalty something longshoremen are not willing togib up. the economic impact from a strike would go well beyond the part. -- port. >> your mom and pop retailer to the farmer and trucking company who has to pick up the containers at the ports. this is felt not just at the local economy but nationwide foreverybody else who relies on the ports to move their commerce. >> reporter: and it's not just the port of baltimore affected it would be ports along the gulf coast. more than a dozen. linda so. amount bc2 news. >> now time for a -- abc2 news. >> now time for the forecast. he called for a foot of snow. >> i was waiting for the e- mails e bates me charley bates me into saying these things and i say them. we are starting out chilly into the 30s. 40 in baltimore city annapolis at 37. so a chilly wakeup and temperatures not going to move further than that. mainly clear skies for most of the afternoon but clouds are increasing during the course of your day after 4, we will deal with mainly cloudy skies. here comes the snow

and the u-s mmaitiieealliance s pet to xpire suuday.the key sticking point is over large that longshoremen get for s - them. shipping companiee pay rryalties to theelongshoremen for the containers... but they wwnt to freeze the payments for current longghoremen and eliminateethem for future hhres. the port of baltimore is one of maryland's largest eceonice geenerators o any type of work action that may result in a suspension or stoopage of work ould have an adverse effe. nearly 15-thousand dockworrers along the east and gulf in baltimoor. remain open all the time at maryland casinos. so how much mmre money will it mean for casinos and then ... state?? joel d. smith is live at "maryland llve" now to exxecting. joeel how 3pbusy is it? - 3 3 3 p3 into the d-n-a of the man ellmentary school massacre... foo clues as to what ade him s. snap.in a first-of--ts-kind study... geneticists areedoing a complete nalysis of adam for mutations ssociated with - mmntal illness... that could lead to an increaseddrisk for violence.but experts sayythat there's o proof thattppople with those genes will copy lan

the longshoremen do not want to cap it. is there room for a settlement before we hit the deadline?eally hope there is. there are a lot of issues still on the table between both side that need to be diussed. the continued royalty issues is the latest issue that has come up. really the only way to make ogress and get a new deal is for parties to stay at table and continue to negotiate and work with federal mediator as they have been doing for the past 90 days. adam: i'm curious if you have, i would call them off the record sources, background sources on either side. are they indicating to you they will reach a deal or get ready for bad? >> neither side is really talking. we've only seen what we've seen in the press. when they walked off last week all signs pointed a strike happening once the contract expired. we're encouraged that the two side are going to sit down with a federal mediator. we don't know at this point in time. adam: do you think the union appreciates the devastation that they could wreak whether they're right or wrong if their attempts at a new contract, that what thi

the white house today says president obama is keeping a close eye on a possible strike by longshoremen. union leaders for nearly 15,000 dock workers at every port from texas to maine say they'll walk off the job on sunday. we asked anna werner to find out how a strike would hurt the u.s. economy. >> reporter: the port of houston handles 42 million tons of cargo every year. it extended its hours this week to try and get shipments in and out before a strike can bring the port to a standstill. jim gillis is vice president of gulf intermodal services, a container trucking company. >> we've seen a dramatic increase in volumes and congestion as a result. >> reporter: what happens if they can't get all the goods out of the port? >> you have containers being held in yards around the houston area, specifically, so you're going to see stores are going to have problems stocking. >> reporter: negotiations between the international longshoremen's union and the shipping companies are deadlocked over a proposal to cut royalties paid to 15,000 dock workers for each ton of cargo they move. a shutdown w

been without a contract for two years walked out on the job more than a week ago and thousands of longshoremen refused to cross the picket lines. >>> it is 5:08. contra costa county's board of supervisors have delayed a vote on whether to shut down four of their fire stations. if approved, stations in the cities of walnut creek, clayton, martinez and lafayette would all close january 1. the county's top fire official recommended the closures saying a loss of property taxes and failed tax measure in november caused the district to burn through its cash reserve. >>> some other headlines around the bay on this wednesday. a decision on whether to buy a drone for the alameda county sheriff's office sent to the public protection committee for further study. the committee is expected to hold a public hearing on the issue sometime in january. if approved, it will go back to the board of supervisors for a final decision. >>> a big bag of marijuana was hauled out of a home that burned in san francisco. police also removed equipment for the growing operation there. the cause of the two-alarm fire in the

longshoremen walked off the job to support about00 clerical workers who have been on strike since tuesday. >> all of our containers are on the ocean and off of the coast of california and monday we'll find out if they have been diverted. >> others have been diverted. so far nine cargo ships have headed to other ports including oakland. >> there may be a few ships that come through oakland, but those are ones that normally make the call here. >> reporter: longshoremen are downplaying the impact on the port of oakland and say they will stay on-the-job while their counterparts in southern california continue. now they have a tentative agreement. workers say the latest contract fight in l.a. is about more than money. >> we have got big companies that are outsourcing good jobs and hurting families, and i think people are fed up with it. >> well, it's too soon to say how much extra traffic could come through oakland. they are working the labor dispute in southern california very closely. >>> a firefighter was briefly hospitalized today after fighting a two-alarm fire at an historic building nea

the longshoremen say the royalties are designed to make up for jobs lost to automation.uld only affect ports that handle containers, not other cargo like automobiles, but if the shipping companies lock out the longshoreman -- >> that would impact more than containers. that would impact all cargos at ports, so that would have obviously a much more impactful reaction. >> reporter: how impactful? scher says east coast and gulf coast ports handled about $55 billion worth of cargo in an average month this year. victor? >> brian todd in baltimore, thank you. >>> sea world, it's known for its splishes and splashes. i don't know if splish is a word but i used it, i'll stick with it and soon it could be making waves on wall street. ♪ aww man. [ male announcer ] returns are easy with free pickup from the u.s. postal service. we'll even drop off boxes if you need them. visit usps.com pay, print, and have it picked up for free. any time of year. ♪ nice sweater. thank you. ♪ ♪ you make me happy when skies are gray ♪ [ female announcer ] you know exactly what it takes to make them fee

. >> more than 14,000 longshoremen are threatening to go on strike at 15 major ports on sunday.or dispute is based on an expiring contract between the international longshoremen's association and the u.s. maritime alliance. the fourth involved in the dispute transport more than 100 million t of good at the goods and every year, about 40 percent of the nation's cargo traffic. the walkout could cost the economy billions of dollars that would affect ford's from new york city to houston. amazon is announce this year's holiday sales as their biggest ever. consumers purchased 306 items per second on their peak day this season. amazon says customers order 26 and a half million items on cyber monday. that is a new record for the online retailer. amazon set another record on christmas day for digital download. the scandal continues to dominate the websites best sellers with the kindle fire hb tablet leading the way. >> it helps the u.s. economy. >> that's why i did it mark >> you did it for the economy. a look at the bay bridge and it is common pleasant and 32 degrees right now. we're ex

internationnl longshoremen association... whichh.. represents shipping companies... and port is... settto expire... one minute past midnight... dec 30th....// today... to a 30-day extension... o &pthe current contract...//. strike... would affect billions of dollars of cargo...// more than... 100 organizations... urged... ppesident obama... to .. enter... negotiations. the president gathers congressional leaders for one laat maae-oo-break negotiation. negotiation. ed henry -- where... we stand ...// just... a... few days... before the... fiscal 33 3&henry, fox news. 3 3 bad day for chicago....the citys homicide rate is up 17 percent. the city rrached the grim milesttne of 5000murddrs when a 40-year-old man was &pshot n the head while standdng outside convenience store. police say p8. ers in chicago since 20- a different story in newwyork city. the numbbr of murders ii the big aaple are at according to the n-y-p-- the citt had 414 homicides compared to 471 ii 20-09.. police also &psay they seized 8-thousand weapons this year. today was also good day ffr "gooo riddance". p hundreds o

>> today the operators of east coast ports agreed to extend the longshoremen's contract for another 30 days. this move averted a potential strike. maryland governor martin o'malley is applauding the extension, saying baltimore's port is a major part of maryland's economic strength. the main issue is royalty payments for each container unloaded. >> former president george h. w. bush is still in intensive care. the spokesperson says he is improving. the 88-year-old with the hospital november 23 with bronchitis related symptoms. his doctors say he is in good condition, good spirits, and alert. former president bush was placed in the ico after he developed a fever -- icu after he developed a fever. >> highway crews are preparing for winter storm expected to hit tomorrow. kreuz spread the icing chemicals -- crews spread de- icing chemicals on bridges. >> is this really necessary? >> we're going to have live extensive coverage of news channel it about is no tomorrow morning. check with us then. -- channel 8 about the snow tomorrow morning. this view from fairfax. during the day it was a para

we still don't know which side did in fact budge, whether it was the longshoremen or the shipping company owners or it could have been both sides coming together and reaching a negotiated deal. hard to imagine with what we see in washington, d.c. but neither side is talking. the key points had been over container royalties. you see the heavier each container is, the more money each long shore had man gets paid to take it off and put it on the truck. the owners of the companies wanted to cap the fees, the royalties, at last year's levels while the 15,000 strong longshoremen did not. neither side's talking but both sides say a deal on that -- an agreement has been reached. a quote from the federal mediator. the container royalty payment issue has been agreed upon, subject to achieving an overall collective bargaining agreement. crucial is that a strike has been averted for this weekend. it was set to happen midnight sunday morning. that's not happening but we could be back to the same position exactly one month from now because this is essentially a 30-day extension for the union and the am

the longshoremen union along the east coast and the gulf of mexico says it will extend its contract for the next 30 days. that extension prevented a possible strike which could have crippled operations at ports that handle nearly half of all cargo in the united states including in our area at the port of baltimore. >>> we have breaking news tonight out of prince george's county where we are following a deadly fire in a townhome in green belt. you're looking live at the scene on laurel hill road. the flames broke out an hour ago. fire investigators say one person is dead in this fire, two others in the hospital, but with nonlife threatening injuries. no word yet on a cause. >>> a news alert from the district, d.c. police want to talk with these two men they are calling persons of interest in the murder of a man on capitol hill. the victim, jason emma, was shot and killed monday while he sat in his car on c street northeast blocks from his home. emma grew up in arlington county and had just recently moved to capitol hill to live with his friends. police want to hear from anyone who can he

more than 14,000 longshoremen are ready to strike sunday. a walkout would shut ports from boston to houston. those ports move as much as 100 million tons of goods each year including everything from flat screen tvs, sneakers and snow shovels. >>> ski world entertainment plans to become a publicly traded company. the company's three parks are known for their water shows with killer whales. it earned $86 million during the first nine months of this year. seaworld's other property including two busch gardens parks and sesame place in pennsylvania. back to you. >> thank you. erica ferrari cbsmoneywatch.com, thank you. have a great weekend. >>> and it's 5:45 right now. we are going to toss it over toliz for traffic and weather. >> traffic is light this morning, not many commuters. weather, however, things are getting a little interesting. look at that. that area of low pressure we got this storm inching closer towards the bay area and this is actually just an area of light rain and some clouds. the real storm system is actually just behind it a l

owners wanted it capped alt last year's level, longshoremen did not. the container royalty payment issue has been agreed on in principle inside, electronics, clothing, components, airline parts, every consumer product you can think of. both exports and imports. a strike would have shortened supply and raised prices and hit the economy far harder than the port strike in california. >> there was a strike in long beach in los angeles a few weeks ago, just clerks, and it cost the area $1 billion a day. >> reporter: and late this afternoon, the 30-day extension was given an extra week to february 6rd is the deadline to get this worked out. if not, we'll be right back to where we were this morning, worrying about a massive strike. >> thank you, phil. >>> forget job security and safety standards, my next guest says the union strike threat is about protecting big labor and corrupt practices. you don't like the 30-day deal. >> i'm holding my breath and i know a lot of people in the industry and it's a wide amount of people, who are affected here as phil mention

the shipping companies wa to cap those at last year's level but the nearly 15,000 longshoremen didn't want to froze and what they consider not an extra, but a part of their salaries. the new contract is not agreed upon and imports and exports like electronics, non- perishable foods, auto parts, airline parts, computer components, tiled manufactured goods and clothing would not have left the ports. >> any type of work action that may result in a suspension or stoppage of work would have an adverse affect. >> tens of thousands of other workers handling freight that moves through the ports and inland could have found themselves out of work and shipping costs would have risen, costing consumers. >> it's not just the local port area that would be affected by the strike, but the entire region and the state and going nationally as l. >> reporter: the strike would have crippled operations at all of those ports and those ports reflect about 40% of the goods consumed by u.s. consumers. phil keating, fox news, miami. >>> coming up on the news edge at 6, it's one of the most attended gun shows on

the mediator now says contract with the longshoremen on the east and gulf coast have been extended for 30 days. thousands of workers at the port of baltimore and 14 other ports from boston to houston were ready to go on strike sunday. those ports move about 40% of the nation's container cargo traffic. we enjoyed sunshine across the region, but the big story is tomorrow's potential snow. steve rudin is here to talk about that. >> we are watching the maps right now. right now it appears we will see a little bit of snow here in the d.c. area, but not a ton. take a look at the travel forecast. no problems for indianapolis, detroit, new york city and boston. you will find absolutely beautiful conditions as you head to the center of the country. we are watching a storm system to the lower left-hand corner of the screen. this is what is on its way tomorrow. it will start off as a bit of a wintry mix changing over to right now it appears mainly rain. already we do have a winter weather advisory set to go into effect late tonight into the day tomorrow. north and west of d.c., including frederic

today, for example, it takes one longshoremen to do a job that a generation ago took three men to do.tomation increased longshoremen's union demanded their job security preserved but the industry finds it prohibitively expensive. >> an tick waited rules. we've seen it in the automotive industry, the steel industry, in several productivity machines and they come into play and people get displaced by. that it is a difficult thing. in order to maintain the cost and competitiveness in a global marketplace we have got to pay attention to. >> reporter: in some respects president obama is caught in a web of his own making. he wants to be competitive in the global marketplace but he also wants to, and i should say he owes his victory at least in part to unions and by extension to some of the antiquated work rules they support. >> you only have to look to michigan where workers were instrumental in reviving the auto industry to see how unions have helped build, not just a stronger middle class but aing frommer america. [cheers and applause] >> reporter: those remarks delivered on december 10th

federal mediators say dockworkers represented by the longshoremen's union and the u.s. maritime alliance are close to finalizing a new labor deal. so close, that they've extended the deadline on negotiations by another 30 days. this heads off a strike that could have begun on sunday, crippling 14 important ports. the possibility of a strike worried retailers, manufacturers, and farmers, and risked losses in the billions. >> susie: our next guest says once the fiscal cliff mess is resolved, there will be an explosion of meers and acquisitions in 2013. he's robert profusek, chairman of the global m&a practice at jones day. so bob why you are so up beat about more mergers and being a acquisitions especially with everything going on with the fiscal cliff. >> it's a pessimistic time andtn the merger market. m & a has been fantastic. 9 market has been okay. it's not been at th terrible bus been good. it's been held back by the negativism that was focused on the eu and this year it's the fiscal cliff and the election and everything else. the conditions are there. we need more

after a west coast port strike was resolved, this new walkout is being threatened by nearly 15,000 longshoremen union members who are upset over wages and royalty payments. the strike would cripple 15 different ports. the union did not answer our calls, but the national retail federation says the walkout would cause a national economic emergency, and urges president obama to use "all means necessary" to prevent a strike. "we thnk the ripple effect would be fairly significant. all the industries that rely on parts, both importers and exporters, manufacturers, farmers, truckers, rail, you name it, all rely on the ports to move the nation's and global commerce." that was jonathan gold, vp of the national retail federation. the current contract expires at midnight on december 29th. lawmakers remain divided today over a deal to avert going over the fiscal cliff. last night, the house passed legislation known as plan b, which raises taxes on americans earning $1 million. senate democrats threatened to squash the bill, and the president has promised a veto. "senate democrats and the white house will h

there are only two days left after a potential strike and negotiations between the longshoremen longshoremen's union and shipping companies are at an impasse. at issue here is pay for those working at the ports, but if the issue isn't resolved the consequences could be a devastating impact on the economy. as the rest of the country focuses on the political gridlock in washington workers at the port of houston are working overtime trying to get as many shipments in and out as they can before a threatened strike brings the port to a standstill. >> sitting here right now we fully expect there will be some shutdown or strike at the end of the day. >> reporter: jon gold vice president of the national retail federation says a shutdown at the docks would have a ripple effect on the global economy. >> the ports are a primary piece of the puzzle when it comes to the global supply chain. if they're not operating as efficiently as possible it slows down the entire system and hurts the productivity of all of the users of the system. >> reporter: negotiations between the international longshoreman's union

without a contract for two years walked out on the job more than two weeks ago and thousands of longshoremen refused to cross that picket line. >>> the man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 16-year-old at risk girl is expected to make his first court appearance today. 36-year-old gary atkinson faces multiple charges including kidnapping and rape. the victim is a 16-year-old girl with autism who functions as a 7-year-old. >> this is by far one of the most sickening cases i have seen in my career as a police officer, that someone as mr. atkinson can take advantage of someone of this stature. >> the girl walked away from a group home on coolidge avenue in oakland a week ago. police say atkinson met her near the fruitvale bart station and formed her to his home in san francisco where the assault took place. she was found on a muni bus two days later. >>> they held him captive, threatened to kill him and made him do home repairs. that's the story for a handyman who police say walked into an ambush in morgan hill and got himself out of the mess at a san jose gas station. 509-year-old

federal mediators say dockworkers represented by the longshoremen's union and the u.s. maritime alliance are close to finalizing a new labor deal. so close, that they've extended the deadline on negotiations by another 30 days. this heads off a strike that could have begun on sunday, crippling 14 important ports. the possibility of a strike worried retailers, manufacturers, and farmers, and risked losses in the billions. >> susie: our next guest says once the fiscal cliff mess is resolved, there will be an explosion of mergers and acquisitions in 2013. he's robert profusek, chairman of the global m&a practice at jones day. so bob why you are so up beat about more mergers and being a acquisitions especially with everything going on with the fiscal cliff. >> it's a pessimistic time andthat is a cause for optimism in the merger market. m & a has been fantastic. 9 market has been okay. it's not been at the terrible but it's been good. it's been held back by the negativism that was focused on the eu and this year it's the fiscal cliff and the election and everything else. th

the clock also ticking down on time to make a deal to avoid a huge strike with longshoremen across thecountry. baltimore is no exception. kim dacey is live in south baltimore with details on what the strike could mean. >> good morning. it could be the biggest port strike in 35 years. it affects about 2000 workers here in baltimore. unless a deal is reached by sunday. $51 billion worth of cargo a year goes through the port of baltimore. 108,000 jobs are linked to activity at the port. that is in jeopardy if a deal cannot be reached by midnight sunday. >> if it is a total work stoppage, a minimum of $1 million a day. >> that would be the fiscal impact for maryland. negotiations are not going well and that because a shutdown of all ports from maine to texas. baltimore is the number-one port for handling light trucks and some chemicals. it ranks high for imported aluminum. many of the parts that keep commerce chugging along. there is talk the strike could be a partial one. that could avoid a stoppage in cruise ship operations. >> if containers were made to be the focal point, we think that

more than 14 longshoremen are threatening to whack off the job on sunday.walk-off could shut ports down from boston to houston. they move more than 1,400 million tons a year. >>> seaworld is known for its water shows and killer whales. iter and $80 million during the first nine months of this year. seaworld's other properties include two busch garden parks and sesame place in pennsylvania. duarte? erica ferrar. >>> thanks erica. straight ahead, your weather and in sports dwyane wade gets hit where it counts, in the wallet. this ill-advised attack on this player. >>> here's a look at today's ♪ aww man. [ male announcer ] returns are easy with free pickup from the u.s. postal service. we'll even drop off boxes if you need them. visit usps.com pay, print, and have it picked up for free. any time of year. ♪ nice sweater. thank you. ♪ >>> here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. new york, mostly sunny, 39 degrees. miami, mostly sunny, 77. chaurks occasional snow, 34 degrees. dallas, showers, 47. las angeles, mostly sunny, 63 degrees.

the longshoremen's union along the east coast and gulf of mexico says it will extend its contract for 30 days. that prevents a possible strike that could have crippled operations at ports including in baltimore. no. 1, a few tickets to the inaugural ball will be released to the public. if you want to go, head to the presidential inauguration committee's website to sign up. when tickets become available everyone who signed up online will get an e-mail and those tickets will be sold on a first come, first serve basis. the ball will be held january 21st. that's tonight's fox 5 top five. >>> gary is back and i'm guessing it's a little too early to ask you about the inaugural forecast, 20 days away. >> they're always cold. the climatologically speaking yeah, it's going to be cold. >> i'll prepare. it was bone chilling cold four years ago. it was terrible. >> but what if it were snowing? >> i walk around like randy in the christmas stores. >> i always get to stay inside when it's nice and warm. sue goes out for the inaugurals and all that stuff. tomorrow it's going to be cold, snowy and i d

east and gulf coasts are at risk of closing if longshoremen and the international maritime alliance cannot reach a deal by saturday. federal mediators have been called in to help with last minute negotiations. at the heart of the dispute: container royalties. those fees charged to shippers were implemented in the 1960s to help dock workers displaced by technology. the maritime alliance wants the royalties capped. earlier this month a port strike in southern california, cost an estimated $1 billion a day. netflix is blaming problems at its web service provider, amazon for a server outage that took down its streaming video service on christmas eve and into christmas day. netflix says it worked through the night with engineers at amazon to get the service back up and running. netflix shares rebounded today, rising almost 2%, while amazon shares fell nearly 4%. >> susie: amazon was just one of many stocks in the red today. as we mentioned earlier, stocks were dragged lower by the retail sector after a report showed consumers did not go all out this holiday shopping season. that sent shares of

more than 14,000 longshoremen threatened to strike.uld have crippled operations at the port. one week from tomorrow, crossed the island will officially retire -- carl snowden will officially retire. he has a court date for violating his probation on a drum driving case. >> there was a shooting in north baltimore. this happened on sunday afternoon. abbas is found and until now suffering a gunshot wound to his back. a suspect shot and wounded his own sister. he was fighting with his family in edgewood late saturday night. police say he pulled out a gun and shot through the front door. the round hit his sister. >> 29 degrees at the airport. 5:37. >> you might want to see food for a couple of days. >> like volume on the roads -- >> like volume on the roads -- light welcome back to 11 news today. 5:40. clouds are starting to build in. we have so much less wind today. from central's into southern maryland. a little warm in ocean city with partly cloudy skies. clouds will be building in from the north and west. there could be a few flurries m