Stakeholder #3

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This third stakeholder is extremely important. They are the ones that this bill was created for. These are the ones that feel the effects of the bill the most.

Description

This third stakeholder in the Seattle minimum wage increase issue is the worker. This is the group of people that are most affected by the new bill because they are the ones that it was created for. The politicians of the greater Seattle area saw these wage workers struggling to live off of their wages and wanted to make a change. The politicians drafted a bill that they felt would work well in their city. These workers were working at multiple jobs a day, working 80 hours a week, and still barely paying their bills. On top of that, they were never home to see their families that they were working to support. These workers are presented as unimportant to society and are often overlooked. Their jobs are seemingly rudimentary and require no skill or brain power. Most of the world is overly critical of these workers as well. To some people, they cannot seem to do their job well enough. To the people who do appreciate minimum wag workers, they feel sorry for them. These are the same people who support the enactment of this ordinance. These workers are seen every day as they hand the consumer their cheeseburger or as they “check out” a shopper at a department store. There are no headquarters or websites for these workers but now, the Seattle government has passed a bill in an attempt to aid them.

Three Claims

1.    The first claim that is made by a worker is, “It would be nice to make an extra $1.50 an hour, but everything is gonna go up to compensate for how much the minimum wage goes up.” This worker is claiming that although the slight increase in her pay would be nice, she does not want to see the prices of the restaurant she works at go up and she does not want the cost of her everyday living to go up with the minimum wage as well.

2.    The second claim that is made by another worker is, “I could lose my job and not be able to live.” This worker realizes that if the minimum wage goes up, her boss may not be able to employ as many people due to the cost and if she loses her job then she cannot afford to live. She would be in the streets possibly with the wage increase.

3.    The third claim being made is from a worker in New York stating, “We demanded $15 and union rights because that's what we needed to support our families without having to rely on food stamps and rent assistance.” This worker is simply thinking about his current situation. The fact that he can barely afford his way of life on these government assistances and that he does not want to live that way anymore.

Credibility

The reason that all of these claims are credible is because they are out of the workers’ mouths. They are the ones that live their lives every day and see how hard it is to live off of their wages. They are also the ones that know the risks and benefits of an increased wage. These claims are before the increase in wages happened, and they capture the true emotions of the worker and what the extra money would be like for them.

Other stakeholders

The stakeholders that make similar claims to these workers are the owners of the businesses in the Seattle area. They both have to weigh the costs and benefits closely because the increase in minimum wage can drastically effect their lives. The stakeholder that is not similar to the workers at all are the consumers. They are not nearly as directly affected by the increase in minimum wage and do not have similar consequences. They are making claims based on their own lives which are much different, in most cases, to the workers.