Reuters: The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a challenge by business groups to Seattle’s law raising its minimum wage to $15 an hour, a move echoed by other locales, in a case focusing on how the ordinance affected local franchises like McDonald’s.

The Seattle law’s supporters hailed the court’s action, which left intact a lower court ruling backing the measure, as a defeat for “the big business lobby” that has taken aim at minimum wage hikes.

The International Franchise Association and the businesses that challenged the measure did not target the actual wage hike. Instead, they argued that it was unfair for Seattle to exclude local franchises of big companies like McDonald’s (MCD.N) and Burger King (QSR.TO) from the small companies that the law gives three extra years to pay employees at least $15 per hour.

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