LABOR

Judge Blocks Order on Striking Workers: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said it won a round in court, blocking enforcement of a presidential order that bars the government from doing business with companies that permanently replace striking workers. The chamber said U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler agreed to block the order until it could be heard by an appeals court, but rejected the business group’s legal arguments that the executive order violates federal law. On March 8, President Clinton ordered that the government not buy goods or services from employers that permanently replace their workers during legal strikes. Both sides expect the battle to wind up in the Supreme Court.