Payments

Ford backtracks on worker firing after vending fiasco

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July 8, 2026

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A veteran electrician who spent 11 years at Ford's Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville said he has declined an offer to return to work after being fired over the alleged theft of a $1.95 package of cookies from an Aramark self-checkout kiosk, according to a New York Post report.

Kurt Kromm said he believed he had successfully paid for the snack after swiping his debit card during an overnight shift, but was terminated a week later after Ford reviewed surveillance footage that appeared to show a failed transaction.

Kromm said he later located the $1.95 charge in his bank records and provided Ford with screenshots and a notarized bank statement proving the purchase had been completed. After reviewing the documentation, Ford offered to reinstate him with full back pay of about $33,000.

However, Kromm said he rejected the offer because he never received an apology and felt the company failed to give him an opportunity to resolve what he described as a simple payment error before terminating his employment.

Ford declined to discuss Kromm's individual case but said the company tries to correct situations when it determines they could have been handled differently. Kromm also criticized Aramark, which operates the self-checkout kiosks at the plant, alleging it reported the incident without confirming that payment had ultimately been processed.