Fast food workers in California to earn $20 an hour. What does it mean for workers nationwide?

The move could boost pay statewide and galvanize efforts across the U.S.

Fast food workers defied skeptics roughly a decade ago with the "Fight for $15," a campaign demanding an industry-wide pay floor at more than double the federal minimum wage.

That aspiration spread across the low-wage workforce, helping to achieve a base pay of $15 per hour in six states and dozens of cities that play host to tens of millions of workers.

Fast food workers in California will soon attain a higher baseline: $20 an hour. The fresh standard could hold significant implications for workers nationwide, experts told ABC News.

Low-wage workers in California across industries will certainly see a raise as their employers compete against the pay offered by fast food companies, economists said.

The approach in California has elicited copycat campaigns in other states and may become a fixture of demands among low-wage workers engaged in union drives.