Most corporations are made up of people who also worked their way up so they more likely to care to varying degrees about employee satisfaction. If pay is too low and doesn't adjust, you're also facing being affected by toxic culture and skill atrophy. In addition I don't know what NYC rules are on unpaid overtime, if you get into that situation you're basically working for free. The only situation I can see that would work is if you're disabled or physically unhealthy to work most jobs, if you can get a union desk job it might be tough for the city to fire you.

It sounds like NYC jobs would be ideal if you have health issues. If the pay is too low and doesn't rise much it's worst than having to bounce around companies. Also job skill atrophy and danger of adopting toxic culture as a norm. Most companies aren't the stereotypical founder/owner driven fiefdoms, they're staffed by people who also know what's it like to be an employee and care about employee satisfaction to a degree.