At a forum yesterday, labor leaders, industry officials and the Labor Department met to discuss workplace safety rules. The debate, which seems to be the first big fight between Labor Secretary Elaine Chao and organized labor, centered on repetitive motion injuries—the most common injury in the American workplace. Industry executives and labor leaders argued whether there was substantial scientific proof of ergonomic injuries to justify new mandatory regulations.
See "Labor and Industry Debate Workplace Safety", Steven Greenhouse, The New York Times, July 16, 2001