Compensation Strategy for Public Libraries

I read the response to the question of whether certain types of libraries must abide by the minimum wage in New York (https://wnylrc.org/raq/minimum-wage-public-library-employees). This includes the mandatory minimum salary paid to professional employees in certain categories who are exempt from overtime, most of whom (in libraries) have master’s degrees. I have to admit, I’m really disturbed that any entity in NYS can get away with paying as low as the federal minimum wage, given what the cost of living has climbed to.

You state that this is legal [for certain libraries] but any library considering this option [should engage an attorney with malpractice insurance to review that library's status under the law and provide a written opinion pertaining only to that library] before embarking on this path. Can you also speak to the potential downsides of choosing to pay less than the NYS minimum wage and minimum exempt salary if you discover you are allowed to do so? Thanks so much.