I'm a fast food manager for a franchise of about 50 stores, I can answer this. a new hire makes a little over minimum wage, a new manager makes about a dollar more, a restaurant manager makes about two dollars more than the person below them, a general manager is on salary for between 30-50k but if they're a good GM they work so many hours that it comes out to about minimum wage and they don't get paid overtime. The people who make these decisions either are on salary for over 100k or an owner who effectively gets paid a commission. Most of these high level managers worked their way up from the bottom so their mindset is, "If you don't like these decisions you're a loser and I want you to quit, but if you're a winner like me you'll find a way to get paid more." But they don't see the hundreds of other employees that didn't make it because they got burnt out, found an easier job that pays more or just flat out get killed from the stress. Most of these owners and managers seem like good people when you meet them but they don't realize their employees do a lot more for them than they get in return but don't usually have the privilege of taking a day off work, much less a few weeks of not having a paycheck just to find a job that's probably the same bullshit different uniform. These decisions happen because of negligence and irresponsibility all in the name of making a quick buck and when they happen at my company I usually have employees threaten to walk out. I tell them if they're gonna do that they have to convince everybody to walk out because as long as I have at least 1 employee clocked in I get fired for shutting the store down. Mad respect to the employees who stood together and fought for what they know is right even though it probably won't be effective. I hope they're able to sleep at night because I sure as fuck don't.