Will Seattle’s $15 Per Hour Minimum Wage Start National Trend?

The city of Seattle’s rapid-fire approval of a $15-per-hour minimum wage, just months after workers began rallying behind the proposal, is the result of a unique blend of local commercial and political realities that may prevent it from becoming a national trend, Bloomberg Businessweek writes. All parties wanted to avoid having the issue enter a costly and bruising referendum battle, according to Bloomberg, and on the business end, Seattle has relatively few of the national chain stores that would likely have stepped in to quietly crush the proposal. Though the unique circumstances in Seattle may make its agreement a hard act to follow, San Francisco and Chicago are exploring similar pay hikes.