Later this month, Democrats at their national convention in Philadelphia will officially back the inclusion of a federal $15 minimum wage -- the culmination of what was once on the political fringe being thrust into the mainstream. 

"We're looking at communities and workers across the nation that are having this conversation and organizing together and demanding fair wages," said Citizen Action Organizer Jamaica Miles.

Over the weekend, the DNC's platform committee backed the inclusion of the $15 wage as the official policy of the party -- a victory, too, for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who backed the measure during the campaign. Hillary Clinton pushed for $12.50, but had said she would sign a $15 wage bill. 

"Bernie Sanders started a conversation and we're glad to see others joining in that messaging," Miles said.

The movement began as a push in part to have fast-food workers see their wages increase, advocacy that gradually swept toward New York first in the form of a labor-wage board and later expanded.

"It's for all workers. It's for all communities," Miles said. "We're not looking at just one segment anymore, we're looking at making sure there are livable wages for workers in all communities."

New York lawmakers this year backed a gradual hike in the minimum wage to $15 for New York City and the surrounding suburbs. Upstate counties will reach $12.50 and then be subject to an economic index. The increase was opposed by some in the business community.  

"I think it's a lack of understanding by our elected officials at all levels of government about the difference between corporate America and Main Street," said NIFB State Director Mike Durant.

For business officials like Durant, Governor Andrew Cuomo's own backing of the wage increase represented a transition from being a pro-business governor to a more left-leaning advocate.

"The last year and a half, the last two years, his agenda has radically shifted," Durant said, "and I think the primary he dealt with and the push from labor and some of the interactions with the Working Families Party has led to paid leave and the highest minimum wage in the country."

Nevertheless, and even if Clinton wins the presidency, a $15 wage increase on the national level may prove difficult should Republicans retain a majority in either house of Congress.