Ford Fired A $200,000 Kentucky Worker Over A $1.95 Cookie

[AzScorpion]

Wow, where was the UAW when all this happened? It's sad that someone who was obviously and asset to the company ($200,000 salary) is fired over a $1.95 cookie! He even showed them proof from his bank transaction and they still let him go. I'm glad he found another job but what an ordeal to have to go through over a lousy $1.95 cookie. It's still unbelievable they didn't have his back!

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/ford-fired-200-000-kentucky-210400773.html

Kurt Kromm, 60, says Ford dismissed him after accusing him of not paying for a chocolate chip cookie at a factory snack kiosk. Kromm denies the allegations and says the kiosk malfunctioned when he tried to pay. After his payment was denied, he says he went to another kiosk to complete the transaction.

According to Kromm, the incident began at about 3:30 a.m. during a 12-hour shift, when his low blood sugar prompted him to buy a Grandma's chocolate chip cookie.

About a week later, he said, he was called into a supervisor's office and fired.

Kromm later provided screenshots from his bank account showing the $1.95 transaction. On June 12, the company that maintains the kiosk, Aramark, confirmed the purchase, per Shifting Gears. Several days later, Ford reportedly said he could return to work, but by then, he had already taken another job. Kromm said he had previously worked 60 hours per week on average for Ford.

He definitely needs a better diet though.

"I earned over $200,000 last year. Why would I steal? I spent $1,200 last year in the canteen mainly on Diet Cokes," Kromm told Shifting Gears.

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[Chris M]

Wow, where was the UAW when all this happened? It's sad that someone who was obviously and asset to the company ($200,000 salary) is fired over a $1.95 cookie! He even showed them proof from his bank transaction and they still let him go. I'm glad he found another job but what an ordeal to have to go through over a lousy $1.95 cookie. It's still unbelievable they didn't have his back!

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/ford-fired-200-000-kentucky-210400773.html



He definitely needs a better diet though.

Makes me think it wasn't at all about the cookie.

 

[AzScorpion]

Makes me think it wasn't at all about the cookie.

That was my first thought too. I figured they were looking for a way to get rid of their high salary employees and this was it but then they offered him his job back. Either way it's pretty sad a company would do this regardless but there's obviously no loyalty now.

Several days later, Ford reportedly said he could return to work, but by then, he had already taken another job. Kromm said he had previously worked 60 hours per week on average for Ford.

 

[ppfd]

I bring my food to work, every day. And I drink water.

This guy says he spent $1200.00 on Diet Coke in a year?

 

[AzScorpion]

I bring my food to work, every day. And I drink water.

This guy says he spent $1200.00 on Diet Coke in a year?

For 42 years I always brought my lunch to work along with a gallon (or two) of water in the summer. I was mostly on a construction site where nothing else was available. And no, I wouldn't eat the food from those Roach Coach's either.

Anything diet is the worst thing you can have. You're better off with real sugar than all that fake crap in diet sodas. Sugar is the number one enemy for your body and the main cause of heart disease. There's everyone's PSA for the day. lol

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/3-reasons-you-should-kick-your-diet-soda-habit

 

[veedubtuner]

I'm surprised there was no lawsuit.

Anyway, on another note....more recalls announced.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifesty...cles-over-windshield-wiper-drivetrain-defects

 

[veedubtuner]

I bring my food to work, every day. And I drink water.

This guy says he spent $1200.00 on Diet Coke in a year?

Ditto

 

[AzScorpion]

I'm surprised there was no lawsuit.

Anyway, on another note....more recalls announced.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifesty...cles-over-windshield-wiper-drivetrain-defects

What good is the UAW when you really need them? All those dues and they couldn't care less. Unless like Chris said there's more to this that they're not telling

 

[Chris M]

I bring my food to work, every day. And I drink water.

This guy says he spent $1200.00 on Diet Coke in a year?

I can see that, actually.
My daddy was a diabetic (many moons ago) and pretty much kept a Diet Coke in his hand all the time.

Vending machine prices are expensive for stuff like that, and if the guy was working 60-ish hours a week, 12 hour days...them's a lot of cokes at maybe 2 or three a day.

 

[ppfd]

Aramark is the trash food mafia.
They are everywhere

Get this, they run the kitchens in the prison I work at. They use inmates for cooking and cleaning.

Government money waste is insane. The state of West Virginia, like most states pays an outfit to run the kitchens. Yet the state not only pays Aramark. They pay for all the food and supplies, plus they pay the inmates.
aramark literally serves zero purpose.

Now replace Aramark with Wexford , the medical outfit I work for. Same scenario. States pay outside companies millions to do what they could do.

 

[ScarzRanger21(2.0)]

I’d be willing to bet it wasn’t just about a cookie, they were looking for a reason to get rid of him. Something very similar just happened to my brother in law. He had been working at this bar for like 15 years and pretty much ran the place. New owners bought it and put new management in place. About a month later my brother in law was fired for “stealing” money.

Brother in law accidentally charged someone for a wrong menu item. He caught the mistake and took money out of his own pocket to cover the missing $4 at the end of the night. He even talked to the new manager to let him know what happened. At the time, the manager said it wasn’t an issue and don’t worry about it. A couple days later, the owner showed up and fired him for “stealing” money.

We live in a small town and word got around that these new owners are scumbags and screwed over my brother in law. That place has been a ghost town since then! All the locals who always went there Friday & Saturday nights are now going to the bar down the street instead. Everyone in our town knows my brother in law is a great guy and would never steal money. For these new owners to accuse him of that shows what kind of people they are. Nobody wants to do business with them now lol!

 

[AzScorpion]

I’d be willing to bet it wasn’t just about a cookie, they were looking for a reason to get rid of him.

Doesn't sound like that, It sounds like the machine is prone to malfunctions because this isn't the first time and has happened. Others even praised Kurts work ethic. It sounds like your typical supervisor BS going on in a lot of companies now where they have this "holier than thou" power. Not too many places care about their employees like they did in the past. It's evident by how Ford fired 3,000 top engineers and tried to replace them with AI only to have to hire them back because AI couldn't do their job.

Other Ford workers told Shifting Gears that the factory's kiosks are known to malfunction, sparking concern about whether they have reliable access to food and drink during workdays, as well as Ford's internal review processes.

"You'll turn around and want your receipt and you can't get one," said Ford electrician Victoria Thomas, who has been with the company for 34 years and praised Kromm's work ethic. "... I don't want an issue, so I avoid that room. I have friends who were terminated because they bought a $2 drink. Kurt was the only one who had documentation, and he fought it."

Ford spokesperson Jessica Enoch said the matter may not have been handled properly, stating, per Shifting Gears, "There are times when we look into things and realize it could have been handled differently.

 

[RedlandRanger]

Doesn't sound like that, It sounds like the machine is prone to malfunctions because this isn't the first time and has happened. Others even praised Kurts work ethic. It sounds like your typical supervisor BS going on in a lot of companies now where they have this "holier than thou" power. Not too many places care about their employees like they did in the past. It's evident by how Ford fired 3,000 top engineers and tried to replace them with AI only to have to hire them back because AI couldn't do their job.

Can't disagree a bit, but just to keep things real, it wasn't 3000 engineers, it was 300. Still doesn't change the fact that they treated them like disposable employees. If I had been put in that position, I would think long and hard before I came back to work. It is stuff like that this that shows most companies have ZERO loyalty to employees. There are exceptions but not many anymore...

I'm so glad I don't need to deal with any of that crap anymore!

 

[AzScorpion]

Can't disagree a bit, but just to keep things real, it wasn't 3000 engineers, it was 300. Still doesn't change the fact that they treated them like disposable employees. If I had been put in that position, I would think long and hard before I came back to work. It is stuff like that this that shows most companies have ZERO loyalty to employees. There are exceptions but not many anymore...

I'm so glad I don't need to deal with any of that crap anymore!

Sadly there's zero loyalty in the workplace anymore. I see what Annie is going through now and I keep telling her to just retired be done with it. She's been there 28 years and wants to stay for 2 more but there's so much BS going on there. She's in finance and everyone dumps everything on her (including her supervisor) because they know she'll do it and most don't know how to include her super. That place is going to be a mess once she retires. Heck we can't even go on vacation for a week without them constantly calling her to help with things. The only reason she does it is because it'l be a mess for her once she's back.I think the only saving grace is she's working from home.

Fat fingers this morning I meant 300 but we were both wrong. It was 350+.

https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2026...-former-engineers-to-fix-errors-caused-by-ai/

To address this gap, Ford hired, promoted, or brought back more than 350 experienced engineers to rebuild its technical expertise base. These seasoned professionals were tasked with retraining the automated systems and mentoring younger engineers who were struggling to maintain vehicle quality standards. “That’s where some of our most experienced engineers have had experience

 

[ScarzRanger21(2.0)]

Doesn't sound like that, It sounds like the machine is prone to malfunctions because this isn't the first time and has happened. Others even praised Kurts work ethic. It sounds like your typical supervisor BS going on in a lot of companies now where they have this "holier than thou" power. Not too many places care about their employees like they did in the past. It's evident by how Ford fired 3,000 top engineers and tried to replace them with AI only to have to hire them back because AI couldn't do their job.

I didn’t read the whole story, but that’s definitely possible. Nobody cares about their employees anymore. Everyone is disposable and if they can find a person or machine to replace you that doesn’t cost them as much money, they won’t even think twice. They don’t care if you’ve been there for 15 years and have a family to feed, this new AI program they just bought is going to save them some money at the end of the year.

“Sorry Jimmy, but we can’t afford to keep you anymore. You’ve been here for three decades and your work ethic is unmatched but this new program can do four times the work you do for half the price. Bye now!”

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