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A new federal regulation issued on Wednesday will reveal publicly the workplace injuries and illnesses employers have typically logged for their private use, triggering a clash with business groups that say the data could be misconstrued and exploited by unions and plaintiffs’ lawyers. The rule is the culmination of a long-running debate between workplace-safety regulators and businesses who have been at odds over what and how much safety information should be available to the government and the public. (Trottman, 5/11)

A Walnut Creek health care company will pay more than $37,000 in back wages and damages to an employee who was fired when she asked for medical leave, the U.S. Labor Department announced Thursday. Latoya Blanche, a clerical employee with Muir Orthopedic Specialists for nearly two years, applied for four weeks of leave in June 2015 because of a serious health condition, the Labor Department said. It did not specify the condition. (Egelko, 5/12)