I think the parent is trying to say that if employers value workers in their corporate offices more than workers at home, then they should pay more to get that higher value.
Compensation is determined by how much it takes to get someone to do the work, not the work itself. Generally speaking, it takes more money to convince someone to come into an office. If an employer finds value in having people in an office, they have to pony up, else nobody will show up.
> Why is the cost of my labor different if I'm in the office or not.
The Law of Supply & Demand.
Supply & Demand is a two way street...Perhaps the employers will adequately compensate for commute time.
Remote-first jobs are still in the minority (low labor demand), and a lot of devs across the time zone are eager to take them (high labor supply), so we should expect to see lower offers.
They apparently value people being in the office. Let them put their money where their mouth is. This is a textbook capitalist approach to the problem.