On Nov. 5, voters in the small town of SeaTac, Wash. voted on a bill that proposed to raise the minimum wage for certain workers. That evening, votes for the proposal were leading by a narrow margin of 54 percent in favor and 46 percent opposed.

Entitled Proposition 1, the bill would raise the minimum wage for workers at the international airport of the Seattle-Tacoma region to $15 per hour, the highest in the United States. Washington already has the highest state minimum wage, currently set at $9.19 and scheduled to increase to $9.32 on Jan.1, 2014, according to the Seattle Times.

Labor unions spent more than $1.4 million campaigning for the motion, while certain businesses like Alaska Airlines, which uses SeaTac as its major hub, spent more than $155,000 campaigning against it, according to the Washington Post.

Supporters of the measure believe it will boost the local economy by granting increased spending power to low-wage workers. Detractors argue it will burden small businesses, forcing them to cut staff and raise prices.

Because Washington uses a mail-in voting system, it may still be several days before an outcome is determined.

Changes to state or federal minimum wage can affect the number of hours managers allow employees to work. Attendance software can help supervisors keep track of employee time.

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