TL;DR at bottom define small, so about twenty percent to labor is small? start inching up from there and many get scared quickly. plus it won't move many out o

TL;DR at bottom define small, so about twenty percent to labor is small? start inching up from there and many get scared quickly. plus it won't move many out of poverty what it will do is move many who are not employable out of a job. the people you hire at $15 are going to be held to a higher standard than those you would accept at $8, $9, or even $10. Plus you will get people come out of the wood work would never have considered "stooping" to such a job but for $15 an hour its fine then. So Mr Tattoo who has a bit of an attitude problem but you take him because he is available for $8 isn't someone you will let cross the threshold at $15. Little Ms May who is always late or out sick will be on the other side of the counter. Why, because once you break a mental threshold in pay you get people who would not had considered working there. Now they won't all be seeing a career but they will see a job that is worth their time. You want to help those in poverty. Then get government off their backs. From expensive government services and fees, to ordinance inspectors who troll poor neighborhoods, to the cops and legal system who prey on the very same. That $20 bucks you paid to update your license could be make or break it for some and that is just the tip of the ice burg. More low paying jobs are in regulated occupations which forces the poor to incur debt just trying to get licensed to work. TL;DR $15 an hour won't change the attitude of those demanding it, they will feel even more entitled because they are not suited for employment. Won't matter because it will bring out those who are.