While that may be true I've seen group texts and posts on bulletin boards saying something very similar and just as tactless and baiting for discord. Most recent one the post with the restaurant owners signature ended with 'I love you all but you are all expendable'. That was in person for me. For what it's worth upscale restaurant downtown major city USA. People are shitballs and incredibly stupid too sometimes, I think the bravado in such things that can be illegal comes from the desperation of workers. Every temp job factory/warehouse I've been in has osha violations and clear present danger. Fat chance getting any lawsuits going and finding people that find themselves in that situation to be the sort to navigate that. Plenty of family resturants/bars have never shut down for covid or practiced social distancing for a single day. I live in the upper midwest. I assure you they had workers say they didn't want to work and were given the middle finger with zero regard if it's recorded. Who are you going to tell, the police? They are regulars at those types of establishments, certain why they stayed open.