No doubt, this action by such a large private employer will prompt others to follow. Given the state of the economy and the low unemployment rate, many other companies will need to raise wages to compete for workers. But not all, and that’s where state governments may need to step in. With the overall landscape tilting toward higher entry-level wages, a mandatory $15 minimum wage (at least at some reasonable future date) seems less like a burden on employers and more like a protection from less scrupulous actors in the marketplace — much in the same way government protects responsible businesses from competitors who put their workers at risk with unsafe conditions or release toxic pollutants into the environment.