It's a win for a worker who's compensated based on their work output, which is pretty much the opposite of what a salaried worker is.

Productivity is productivity, doesn't matter how one is paid.

…then why mention a salary at all?

Perspective. It was a noise word really. Imagine instead a contractor working $100 an hour and pulling enough hours to make $200k a year. Does that change the discussion any? I don't believe so.