Kurt Kromm, a 60-year-old electrician with 11 years at Ford's Kentucky Truck Plant, was dismissed after being accused of taking a €1.71 package of cookies without paying. During a night-shift break, he scanned the item at a self-checkout kiosk in the factory canteen. His first debit-card attempt triggered a red error message, so he tried another terminal and believed the payment had gone through.
A week later, supervisors summoned Kromm and accused him of leaving with the cookies unpaid. Ford terminated his employment. Back home, Kromm checked his bank statement and found a charge matching the date and amount of the purchase, confirming that the transaction had been processed.
Kromm challenged the dismissal with the bank record. Ford reviewed the documentation and reversed its decision, offering reinstatement and $33,000 (€29,000) in back wages for the time he had been out of work. He declined after finding a better-paying job closer to home and sought legal advice about possible further action.
Payment Error Sparks Dismissal
The dispute came down to whether the self-checkout payment had gone through. The initial error message led supervisors to conclude that the cookies were unpaid; Kromm's bank statement later showed a charge for the purchase. The episode shows how a payment-terminal error can become an employment matter when a transaction is treated as incomplete before the employee's records are checked.
Back Pay, Not Damages
The $33,000 (€29,000) was offered as back pay for wages Kromm missed while out of work, not as court-ordered damages. Ford's offer also included reinstatement. Kromm declined both, and the account describes no court ruling or additional damages.
Worker Declines Return
Kromm decided to move on after the accusation and dismissal, having found a better-paying position closer to home. He sought legal advice about possible claims over how the case was handled and the reputational effects of the accusation.
Reporting and Plant Context
Phoebe Wall Howard reported the case in Shifting Gears, drawing on interviews with Kromm and a review of relevant documents. Ford's Kentucky Truck Plant is in Louisville. It produces the Ford Super Duty and Ford Expedition, as well as the Lincoln Navigator.
