Raising Wages – Epic Story Elements

Quest: Every working person should be paid enough to care for and support their family and in so doing help build thriving communities.

Values:

• The dignity of work.
• Family.
• Freedom from want.
• Responsibility – of employers to pay decent wages.
• Thriving communities.

Villains and their threats:

• Profitable corporations that use their influence to hold down wages and benefits.
• Employers that hold down wages so that their employees need to rely on public programs to care for and support their families.
• CEOs who pay themselves astronomical sums while keeping wages stagnant for their employees.
• Restaurant owners who profit from paying working people who get tips a subminimum wage.
• Elected officials who take the side of CEOs and not working people and communities when they oppose raising the minimum wage.

Heroes and their tools:

• People who work to care for and support their families.
• Working people who build thriving communities.
• Working people who shop in their neighborhoods, create jobs and help our communities thrive.
• Small businesses that do the right thing by paying higher wages than big, out of state corporations.
• Small businesses that understand when their employees earn more, that boosts Main Street and builds thriving communities.
• Moms and Dads who are paid low wages and rely on public support to care for and support their families.
• Elected officials who take the side of working people, not CEOs and support raising the minimum wage.