It's the first of three incremental boosts approved by the Legislature and Gov. Andrew Cuomo when they approved the state budget in March. The minimum for most workers will increase at the end of 2014 to $8.75 an hour and to $9 an hour a year after that.

The minimums for workers in the restaurant industry who get tips may remain $5 an hour, with employers able to raise the maximum tip credits to $3 an hour the first year, $3.75 the second and $4 after that for staff whose combined tips and wages meet or exceed the new higher minimums.

Advocates for New York's working poor want the Legislature to revisit the issue this year, saying the minimum should be $10 to $15 an hour and include workers who get tips. Hunger Action Network called $8 "a sub-poverty wage" and noted recent U.S. Conference of Mayors surveys from 25 cities showing 43 percent of the households using emergency food programs had someone employed.