Boss tries to guilt-trip worker when they demand owed bonus, plan completely backfires

Over the course of the pandemic, workers in the fast food industry were some of the worst-hit. In but one example of what is taking place across the country, one Reddit user took to the forum Pro-Revenge to reveal how they were exploited by their general manager after working overtime for several weeks. The employee, a manager at Wendy's, agreed to work more shifts than they had originally been hired for as they were offered a substantial bonus. However, their manager delayed and eventually bailed on the payment altogether. At this point, the employee staged a walkout. As a result, the fast food company moved the general manager to another state where his salary was substantially reduced.

"I used to work at Wendy’s as a manager. It was already a crappy job, but my general manager was nice and most employees were easy to deal with. All this started when I was already working [about] 65 hours a week," the Reddit user shared. "I was offered a $100 bonus to work one of my only days off. I decided to do it, and later that week. Before I had even been paid, I was asked to come in again. I said this time I would like $150 as at this point I had worked almost 23 days without any days off. They said they’d do it, so in I went."

They continued, "Cut forward three weeks, I’ve been asking about my money for a while now. I am told by my general manager that I could speak to my district manager as he would be in later that night." When the district manager came in, they informed the employee that the store had been struggling to bring in revenue. The district manager attempted to pin this on the worker. "So, basically he’s telling me that my performance isn’t good enough," the Reddit user wrote. "At this point, I’m working dinner rush and the whole night with me and three others. [The] district manager [said], 'Your shift isn’t making as much money as others, and your drive time is higher.'" Despite explaining that the crew had been doing everything they could, the district manager claimed that was "no excuse." Ultimately, the district manager asserted that the worker would not receive their bonus until revenue rose.

The worker was left speechless. They explained, "The rest of the conversation was a blur. I grew up on the south side, you didn’t mess with people's money." In order to receive the money the worker was rightfully owed, they planned a walkout. "A day passes, I’ve had time to collect myself and speak to my entire crew. Everyone agrees to walk out with me," they stated. "So I call my district manager. The phone starts to ring but then it cuts off. He declined my call. So I call him again, and again, and again. Finally, I just leave him a voicemail [in which I say], 'Look, you need to talk to me, you have until 8:45 pm to call me back or all of [the] night crew is done."

When they went to work, they spotted an email on their boss's computer (they leave it open and logged in). The worker revealed, "Long story short, in the email, it was [the district manager] trying to make sure my general manager was going to be ready to go to work. AKA: [they weren't] going to call me or give me my money. So I get all my people together and we walk out, leaving everything out—all the meat all the toppings, the fryer. Everything." They turned in their keys the very next day. Eventually, when speaking to another worker, the Reddit user discovered that the district manager was moved to Indiana and that their wages were reduced from $65,000 to around $40,000. They concluded, "All this for $250."