Ford Fires Employee Earning INR 1.9 Crore Over INR 186 Cookie, Union Later Proves His Innocence
A Ford employee who spent 11 years at the company's truck factory in Louisville, Kentucky, says he was fired over allegations of stealing a cookie worth just INR 186, despite earning an annual salary of INR 1.9 crore. Kurt Kromm, 60, worked at the plant that builds the Super Duty, the Expedition and the Lincoln Navigator, and said he regularly put in 60-hour work weeks.
A Ford employee who spent 11 years at the company's truck factory in Louisville, Kentucky, says he was fired over allegations of stealing a cookie worth just INR 186, despite earning an annual salary of INR 1.9 crore. Kurt Kromm, 60, worked at the plant that builds the Super Duty, the Expedition and the Lincoln Navigator, and said he regularly put in 60-hour work weeks.
The accusation centred on a Grandma's Chocolate Chip Cookie that Kromm bought from the office canteen after feeling light-headed from low blood sugar.
The Accusation
Kromm said his supervisor called him into the office, where a union bargainer informed him that Ford intended to terminate him over the alleged theft. "They're going to terminate you. They got you on video stealing a cookie," the union bargainer told him, as per Shifting Gears. Delhi Woman Anukriti Vidyarthi Fired After 5.5 Years at Wipro, Video Goes Viral.
Kromm was removed from the factory premises and asked to wait while his paperwork was processed. He said the union bargainer urged him to apologise for the incident, but he refused, insisting he had paid for the cookie.
He pointed out the accusation made little financial sense given his earnings. "I earned over USD 200,000 last year. Why would I steal? I spent USD 1,200 last year in the canteen mainly on Diet Cokes," Kromm said. Layoffs: Amazon Veteran Struggles for 8 Months in Job Hunt After 2025 Job Cuts; Social Media Post Goes Viral.
Proving His Innocence
Kromm said he was left stunned by how the situation unfolded. "I'm thinking, this is the way my career at Ford Motor is going to end? There's no way I'm coming back. First you tell me I'm a thief and then you tell me I'm a liar for saying I didn't steal. They were so confident I'd stolen. And then I look in my checking account statement and the USD 1.95 is frickin' there," he said.
He subsequently sent screenshots of the debit card transaction for the cookie purchase to Ford and the union representative as proof of payment. Two weeks later, the union told him Ford was requiring the bank statements to be notarised before proceeding further.
Offered His Job Back, Too Late
The union eventually confirmed that payment kiosk operator Aramark had verified Kromm's cookie transaction with Ford on June 12, and the company offered to reinstate him. By then, however, Kromm had already accepted a new position closer to home.
His new role began the day after Memorial Day, raising his hourly pay from USD 48 an hour at Ford's rate to USD 52.51, along with an additional USD 10 per hour bonus.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 03, 2026 04:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).