Story highlights Jonathan Schleifer: Business interests in 3 states trying to gut minimum wage hikes OKd by voters last November

Doing so undermines the democratic process and the will of the people, he says

Jonathan Schleifer is the executive director of The Fairness Project, an organization that supported successful state-based ballot initiative campaigns in 2016. TThe opinions expressed in this commentary are his.

(CNN) In Maine, Arizona and Washington state our democracy is under assault. And this time, Russia isn't to blame.

each Last November, voters in those states resoundingly approved ballot initiatives to raise minimum wages. Arizona and Washington also approved an expansion of paid sick leave. In fact, in state , upping the minimum wage got significantly more votes than the winning presidential candidate.

That should have been the end of it, a long-overdue victory for workers. But opponents of these ballot measures have continued to reject progress. In the past month, lawyers and lobbyists -- including those representing Chamber of Commerce groups, the National Restaurant Association and the National Federation of Independent Businesses -- have been fighting to undermine the clear will of voters and claw back the wage hikes.

If their efforts are successful, they will take money from some of America's hardest-working and lowest-paid employees. Higher wages for millions kicked in on January 1 and by the end of the year are estimated to put over $2.9 billion more into worker' pockets.

In Maine, more than 76,000 voters' signatures put Question 4 on the ballot. It promised gradual increases to the minimum wage for 181,000 people and eliminated the subminimum wage for tipped workers.