Newsmakers

A Ford employee who earned nearly $200,000 a year says he was fired after being wrongly accused of stealing a $1.95 chocolate chip cookie—only for the automaker to reverse its decision after he proved he had actually paid for it.

The incident involves 60-year-old Kurt Kromm, an electrician who had worked at Ford's Kentucky Truck Plant for 11 years. According to Kromm, he regularly worked long shifts, often logging around 60 hours a week, and had built a strong reputation within the company.

Cookie Purchase Leads to Dismissal
The controversy began during an overnight shift when Kromm, who has diabetes, felt his blood sugar dropping and decided to buy a Grandma's Chocolate Chip Cookie from a self-service snack kiosk.

Kromm said he initially swiped his debit card at one payment terminal, but the machine displayed an error. Believing the transaction had failed, he moved to another kiosk and paid again before taking the cookie.

A week later, Ford management called him into a meeting and informed him that security footage allegedly showed he had taken the cookie without paying. He was immediately dismissed from his job and escorted off the premises.

Why Would I Steal a $1.95 Cookie?
Kromm strongly denied the allegation, saying it made no sense given his income and spending habits.

He claimed he earned around $200,000 annually and had spent roughly $1,200 at the plant's cafeteria over the previous year.

"I earned over $200,000 last year. Why would I steal?" Kromm said while describing the incident.

Bank Records Proved His Innocence
After returning home, Kromm reviewed his bank records and found a debit card transaction showing that the $1.95 payment had been successfully processed.

He forwarded screenshots of the transaction to Ford and his union representatives. The company later requested notarized bank statements before completing its review.

The breakthrough came when Aramark, the company operating the snack kiosks, confirmed that payment for the cookie had indeed been received. That confirmation established that Kromm had not stolen the item as originally alleged.

Ford Reverses Decision
Following the verification, Ford withdrew its earlier decision and offered Kromm his job back. The company also compensated him for several weeks of lost wages while his case was under review.

However, by that time, Kromm had already accepted a new position closer to his home. The new job reportedly paid $52.51 per hour, plus an additional hourly bonus—an improvement over his previous wage at Ford. As a result, he declined the company's offer to return.

Ford Acknowledges the Matter Could Have Been Handled Better
Although Ford declined to discuss the employee's case in detail, the automaker acknowledged that there are occasions when workplace situations could have been managed differently.

Company representatives said Ford values its employees and aims to handle investigations fairly, while reports indicate the automaker is reviewing how disputes involving self-service payment kiosks are handled in the future.