I think it's especially hard to swallow the COL adjustments that employers want to use if they have to justify their prices to clients in terms of the value pro

I think it's especially hard to swallow the COL adjustments that employers want to use if they have to justify their prices to clients in terms of the value provided. E.g. if a SaaS company is trying to negotiate a contract with a prospective client, it does so on the basis of the benefits or ROI that the client would get ("you spend X with us, but we'll help you generate Y"). If a competitor offers a comparable service, the conversation focuses on the difference in product offerings, not whether their HQ is in a lower cost city or a higher tax state or whatever. For the employees who are making these value-based arguments on behalf of their employer to then be told that they should be payed less based on where they live seems hypocritical at best.