Abstract
This article focuses on complaint activity across two of the most important U.S. statutes regulating workplace conditions, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which sets minimum wage levels and overtime compensation requirements, and restricts child labor; and OSHA, which regulates safety and health conditions in most private-sector establishments. If worker complaints track closely with underlying workplace conditions-where more dangerous workplaces or greater employer noncompliance with workplace standards give rise to more complaints-a system reliant on complaints may effectively move limited resources to those workplaces most in need of attention. On the other hand, if other factors mediate the relation between deleterious workplace conditions and the likelihood of complaining, we have reason to worry about the adequacy of the regulatory system in applying resources where most needed. This problem intensifies as the total amount of money and number of people allocated to workplace protection decreases over time.