A longtime Ford plant employee who was fired after being wrongly accused of theft now looks like he wants to sue. Earlier this month, we reported on the case of Kurt Krom, a diabetic electrician who was let go from Ford’s Kentucky truck plant because the company wrongly accused him of stealing a $1.95 chocolate chip cookie from the canteen. That story ended with Ford confirming that the cookie had indeed been paid for and offering to give Crom his job back, but only if Crom found a new, better paying job. Now, however, Croome has consulted exclusively with a lawyer specializing in defamation claims.
From change gear‘ Phoebe Wall Howard, who broke the original story, wrote Krom’s attorney, “The theft charges made against (Krom) were absolutely false. Evidence of his innocence was available to or from both Aramark and Ford from the beginning. Mr. Krom paid up, but he was still labeled a thief and fired from the plant to which he had devoted 11 years of his career. The way Aramark and Ford handled this situation was unacceptable. was, and the fact that this matter gives rise to substantial legal claims which Mr. Croome intends to pursue to the fullest extent of the law.”
they are looking into
When Jalopnik contacted Ford for comment about the original incident, spokeswoman Jessica Enoch gave us the same statement she gave to several other outlets: “We don’t talk about individual cases, but there are times when we look at things and feel it could have been handled differently. When that happens, we try to make amends. We value our employees and want to be as fair as possible.”
When Shifting Gears Now inquired about potential legal action, Enoch responded, “We do not comment on the specifics of pending litigation. We are working to review the limited number of cases where Aramark kiosk issues have been raised.”
Yes, “instances,” plural. Shockingly (or not), people being fired on false charges of snack theft and then brought back after innocence is proven is apparently a thing at Ford assembly plants, and it all appears to stem from Aramark self-service kiosks that are famous for glitches.
No Doritos!
according to automotive newsThree (!) workers at the automaker’s Michigan assembly plant were previously fired for “similar allegations,” but were then reinstated after their names were cleared — or, at least, after Ford was able to confirm that the workers had indeed paid for its pricey gifts.
Nick Nabozny, a Michigan employee, is now out of work after being accused of stealing Doritos and Ritz crackers. Union officials reportedly told him the complaint could take up to two years to review. This phenomenon has escalated to such an extent that people are now “afraid” of using Aramark kiosks.
“Workers say these kiosks have been failing for years, and nothing has been done about it,” Krom’s lawyer told SG. “Mr. Croome had the records to prove that he paid. Most people don’t have that.”
What happens to people like Krom and Nabozny is in the hands of their lawyers and union officials, but free advice to any Ford plant worker is still on the line: Bring your own Doritos, just to be safe.
