Negotiation principles and practices

Tactics in a Real Negotiation

Seattle's $15 Minimum Wage Push

This is a negotiation situation from a real life occurrence that took place in Seattle and will form the basis of this paper. In this case study, the workers in Seattle felt that the living cost in Seattle was not bearable with the kind of salary that they drew from their employments. Different industries had experienced demonstrations from their employees and there was a standoff that would lead to further unpleasant consequences if the issue was not addressed. This prompted the negotiation between the business community and the labor in Seattle in order to come up with an amicable minimum pay per hour over and above the national $7.25 wage. Negotiations involved the labor, the mayor and the business community and their agreement was to be passed fro endorsement to the council. Amidst intense negotiations, there was a solution found and an agreed and negotiated draft was presented to the council.

Persuasion / tactics

Anchoring; this is meant to set the expected results especially in terms of the amount that the settlement should come to. This was clear among the workers in Seattle, they wanted to have the minimum wage per hour set at $15 and this they used all along and effectively justified the amount hence was considered at the end of the negotiation as the agreed upon amount.

Fairness; in negotiations, fairness refers to prompting of the other side to see and recognize the equity or the equality in the demand that they are pushing for hence persuading them to cross over and agree with their terms. This was effectively used by the employees of in their negotiations since they were able to prove that the living costs in Seattle are not like other states hence the amount that they were calling for was justifiable as the one that would give them equity and also fulfill their basic needs.

Power of options; this means that possibility of finding an alternative route to reach the needed or desired end in the negotiations. This should be used when the first alternative that was adopted in the negotiations seems to be not working well or at the required speed. This was an available too that was actually indicated to be available since the mayor, in his negotiations with the labor and business community, always indicated that is the negotiated draft to the increment does not come to pass within the stipulated time before the mayoral elections, he then had an alternative craft whose terms may not be very amicable to the business community and it is this that he would present to the council for consideration. This worked well in ensuring the business community collaborates with the labor and the mayor to come up with a negotiated draft in good time.