Lucas Jackson/ReutersAs Seattle's minimum wage rises toward $15 an hour, research from the University of Washington suggests that the city has not seen the major business closures and job losses that opponents of the increase predicted, nor has it seen a significant improvement in the lives of workers that proponents envisioned. Despite clear wage increases, the research suggests the policy had an ambiguous net effect on the earnings of low-income workers because of small reductions in their likelihood of remaining employed and a slight reduction in average number of hours compared to what would have been expected without the ordinance.