. >> reporter: especially when the competition is in low-wage climbs like mexico or china, says julie hyatt who owns global fulfillment, a company that assembles printed material, much by hand. >> we're already not the cheapest. being in seattle makes us more expensive just to start. >> i'm in the manufacturing business. i understand the sort of visceral fear that some of them feel about this change. >> reporter: seattle multi-millionaire investor and entrepreneur hanauer is a leader of the $15 wage movement, still helps his family one the pillow company -- >> we have factories that do not pay $15. if my competitors pay $10 and we pay $15, we'll surely go out of business. a great challenge we face in the city of raising the minimum wage $15 is precisely that dynamic. >> reporter: but look, he says, every economic decision involves thawedoffs. boils down -- tradeoffs. boils down the weighing cost against benefits. >> in this case the benefits overwhelm the cost. when worker compensation goes up, everyone benefits because those workers both buy more stuff and need less services from taxpayers