What a mess for smaller companies. It's not just the minimum wage workers. How about the person who has earned their way from the minimum wage to say, $13.75. Now a kid comes in the door and they are both making $15. How about the person who worked years to GET to $15. There is an incremental effect all the way up the salary scale that has to be addressed, if anything - for fairness. That's why historically, changes to minimum wage are made in smaller increments - to give business time to adjust.