At least four more Ford workers have reportedly been fired over alleged snack thefts from self-checkout kiosks inside the automaker’s factories, widening a controversy that first came to light after an electrician said he lost his job over a $1.95 package of cookies that he later proved he had paid for.
Nick Nabozny, who had nearly nine years’ experience at Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant, was fired after he was accused of walking out with a bag of Doritos and a package of Ritz crackers with cheese that the company alleged he hadn’t paid for, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Nabozny, 38, insists he believed the self-checkout kiosk had processed his debit-card payment after it chimed and flashed on the screen.
At least three other Michigan Assembly workers who were fired over alleged snack thefts have been reinstated after investigations cleared them, according to the Free Press.
Nabozny said during a meeting with Ford management on April 27, he was shown surveillance footage from earlier that month that allegedly captured the incident at the self-checkout marketplace near the end of an overtime shift.
“I asked, ‘What did I steal?’” Nabozny told the newspaper.
A union bargaining representative said, “‘They have you on camera in the marketplace stealing food,’” he continued. “I said, ‘I never stole anything in my life. Why would I jeopardize my livelihood and my family’s livelihood to steal food when I’m making good money?’”
“It showed me talking to someone and then when I was done speaking, it shows me grabbing a Milky Way off the shelf, looking at the ingredients, and putting it back,” said Nabozny, who earned $40 an hour.
He’d been on track to earn over $125,000 for the year last year due to accrued overtime.
“I grabbed two different snacks, Doritos and Ritz Crackers with cheese. Then it shows me going to the kiosk and scanning those two items. It shows me pulling my debit card out of my pocket, tapping it and waiting for it to register,” he said.
Another employee, Brendan Fluker, told the Free Press that workers have long complained about the Aramark kiosks malfunctioning, citing transactions that failed to process, double charges, frozen screens and missing receipts.
The latest cases have prompted Ford and food-service giant Aramark to review the functionality of self-serve kiosks at Ford’s US-based plants after workers alleged payment glitches wrongly branded them as thieves and cost them their jobs.
Neither Ford nor Aramark commented on the specific cases.
Ford told the Post that it and Aramark are reviewing the kiosks after becoming aware of “issues raised regarding the kiosk functionality in some limited cases.”
“We are working with Aramark to review these situations,” a spokesperson said.
Aramark similarly said the company is “reviewing the instances in question” and remains focused on operating “with integrity and accountability.”
The revelations come just weeks after Kurt Kromm, a 60-year-old electrician who spent 11 years at Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, told The Post he rejected the automaker’s offer to return after it fired him over an alleged failure to pay for a $1.95 package of Grandma’s Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Kromm, who is diabetic, said his blood sugar dropped to 60 during an overnight shift on May 9, prompting him to buy the cookies from an Aramark self-checkout kiosk.
He told The Post the payment terminal flashed a red error message after he tapped his debit card. He tried again, but while the screen never displayed the usual green approval checkmark, it also didn’t reject the transaction.
A week later, Ford fired him after showing him surveillance footage that appeared to indicate he had walked away without paying.
Days later, after obtaining the correct purchase price from a former co-worker, Kromm reviewed his bank records and discovered the $1.95 transaction had in fact gone through. He later provided Ford with a notarized bank statement verifying the payment.
Ford reinstated Kromm, paid him roughly $33,000 in back wages and invited him to return to work. He refused.
Kromm has retained Kentucky attorney J. Will Huber, who plans to send a demand letter to Ford and Aramark.
The Post has sought comment from Nabozny, Fluker and the United Auto Workers.
