Ford’s so-called cookie controversy is widening, with reports that four additional employees were dismissed over accusations they failed to pay for snacks bought at self-checkout kiosks inside company plants.
The latest accounts add fresh scrutiny to the automaker after longtime electrician Kurt Kromm was fired over a $1.95 package of cookies — an allegation he challenged after later uncovering proof that he said showed he had paid.
Nick Nabozny, one of the Ford workers swept into the dispute, told the Detroit Free Press that he lost his job after nine years at the Michigan Assembly Plant when the company accused him of leaving with a bag of Doritos and Ritz crackers with cheese without paying.
Nabozny, 38, said he was under the impression the purchase had been completed because the kiosk made a confirmation sound and showed a message indicating his debit card payment had gone through.
According to a Detroit Free Press investigation, three other Ford employees were terminated in comparable alleged snack-theft cases, but were later brought back after internal reviews determined they should be reinstated.
Nabozny said Ford managers confronted him on April 27 and presented surveillance video they claimed showed the incident earlier that month, near the end of an overtime shift — details that closely resemble the circumstances described in Kromm’s case.
Kromm, an 11-year Ford employee who repaired robots and automated systems at the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, told the New York Post that he rejected the company’s offer to return after being fired over the alleged nonpayment for a $1.95 package of Grandma’s Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Rather than go back, Kromm said he was weighing legal action over the accusations.
Like Kromm, Nabozny said he was stunned when he was confronted with the accusation.
One of the workers caught up in the new allegations, Nick Nabozny, told the Detroit Free Press he was fired after nine years at Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant for allegedly walking out with a bag of Doritos and Ritz crackers with cheese that the company claimed he had not paid for
Kurt Kromm, who spent 11 years repairing robots and automated equipment at Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, said he was fired after being accused of walking off with two Grandma’s Chocolate Chip Cookies without paying for them
‘I asked, ‘What did I steal?” Nabozny told the Free Press.
A union bargaining representative allegedly told him: ‘They have you on camera in the marketplace stealing food.’
Nabozny said he pushed back: ‘I never stole anything in my life. Why would I jeopardize my livelihood and my family’s livelihood to steal food when I’m making good money?’
He said the footage showed him picking up a Milky Way bar, checking the ingredients and putting it back before purchasing two other snacks.
‘I grabbed two different snacks, Doritos and Ritz Crackers with cheese,’ Nabozny said. ‘Then it shows me going to the kiosk and scanning those two items. It shows me pulling my debit card out of my pocket, tapping it and waiting for it to register.’
Nabozny, who earned $40 an hour and was on track to make more than $125,000 last year with overtime, said he believed the transaction had been completed.
Another Ford employee, Brendan Fluker, told the Detroit Free Press that workers have long raised concerns about the Aramark-operated kiosks, citing problems including failed transactions, duplicate charges, frozen screens and missing receipts.
The Ford breakroom snack controversy has struck again, with four more workers reportedly fired over alleged unpaid purchases from self-checkout kiosks inside the automaker’s factories
The growing outrage among workers who alleged payment glitches have wrongly branded them thieves and cost them their jobs has prompted Ford and the food service giant Aramark to investigate the self-serve kiosks at Ford’s US-based plants.
While Ford declined to comment on specifics, a spokesperson told the Daily Mail that they are reviewing the ‘limited instances where Aramark kiosk issues have been raised.’
‘We have invested significantly to upgrade our workplaces, including self-serve kiosks operated by Aramark to provide 24/7 convenience for our employees,’ the spokesperson said.
‘We are aware there have been some issues raised regarding the kiosk functionality in some limited cases, and we are working with Aramark to review these situations.’
An Aramark spokesperson also told the Daily Mail that they understand the concerns the reports have raised and are working with Ford to review each instance.
‘We remain focused on operating with integrity and accountability,’ the spokesperson said.
Kromm was accused in May after stopping at an Aramark self-checkout kiosk during his overnight shift to buy a package of cookies when his blood sugar dropped to 60. As a diabetic, he said he needed something to eat quickly.
When he was brought into the office by two supervisors, he was shown surveillance footage of his purchase.
He maintained that he had paid and later uncovered a matching $1.95 charge on his bank statement.
Kromm also blamed Aramark, the food services company that operates the plant’s self-checkout kiosks, alleging it shared surveillance footage with Ford before verifying whether his payment had actually been processed, triggering the theft accusation
After sending the proof to Ford, it took 10 days for the company to respond with an email asking him to provide a notarized bank statement verifying the purchase.
After he submitted the document, Ford informed him several weeks later that he would be reinstated with full back pay – about $33,000 – and invited him to return to work.
But Kromm ultimately rejected the offer, saying Ford never apologized or gave him the chance to prove his innocence before firing him.
‘There was no apology. There was no serious, ‘We’re sorry,’ Kromm told The New York Post. ‘There was just, ‘Oh, you’re not coming back?’ No, I am not interested in coming back.’
Ford and Aramark didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment.
