Freighter backlog worsens outside major West Coast ports

By Noel Randewich SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Growing numbers of freighters were backed up around the United States' two busiest cargo hubs on Sunday due to a dispute between shipping companies and dock workers that has led to a partial shutdown of ports along the West Coast. With cargo delays rippling through the U.S. economy, President Barack Obama on Saturday dispatched U.S. Labor Secretary Tom Perez to California to help broker an agreement. By Sunday morning, 34 container ships, tankers an