In 1975, the Bunker Hill Company of Kellogg, Idaho, refused to give fertile female employees jobs involving exposure to lead unless they were sterilized. This paper analyzes the development of the Bunker Hill controversy using the Spector and Kitsuse model of social problem development. We refine the model by considering the resources needed by the claims-making groups within each stage of development. Then we suggest modifications to the model to account for government involvement in the construction of social problems.