Luvlyquants
10510
529
3
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/ford-fired-200-000-kentucky-210400773.html
Jul 7, 2026 12:01 AM
Luvlyquants
10510
529
3
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/ford-fired-200-000-kentucky-210400773.html
Kingdomonsterdeath
Hope they sue the pants off of Ford. Maybe they will get back to making half decent vehicles again.
MotoCanuck
"We're a family" means "I'm the father and you do what you're told or you get punished as long as you're under my roof."
clonedeeznuts
Ford sucks. Wouldn't buy a used one if you paid me.
flatbanana
So did anyone from HR get fired for this mistake with receipts?
TI99Kitty
Edna Krabappel: HAH!
Voojagig
FOrd is proving their HR team to be real winners lately aren't they.
Leitzout2
alcamar
Corporate culture is such a bloated misused word to cover everything from "they're not fast enough for us" to "they just don't fit with the team". Most of the time it's code for "I'm racist/misogynist/etc but don't want to say it out loud"
imgurnaknockuout
How is this not a lawsuit yet?
pashabigdog
BTW here is picture of Ford CEO
RetrogradeLlama
Late stage corporatism is ugly.
BlindGardener
Late stage? It’s always been like this.
MajorNikon
That's why you always shit on company time
AdroitCudgel
He needs to sue the fuck out of Ford for wrongful termination!
pierrelaplace
"We value our employees" is one of many lies corporations spew. It is also the most obviously laughable.
Antifalalalala
Wow, all this PR and it only cost Ford two bucks.
Streisand would be proud.
Resistance1000
Small companies can be assholes, too. I went from upper management jobs at two consecutive places to a part-time weekend job at a third while starting my own business. The third employer was so bad we unionized and I served on the bargaining committee for our first contract (and again for the second), I was shop steward, and secretary of the Local. The company president actually said to me, "But you were one of us." I told him to stop calling me an asshole because I was never anything like him.
orp0piru
kramorp
Except the union didn't help him at all, they didn't believe him even after he provided a screenshot of the receipt.
UsernameRequired
Ohhhh man how many low paying workers did they hire for that one guys job……..probably only one.
evilgriff
Ford was looking for a reason to fire this guy, and when it was flimsy at best they did so, but it got publicized, so they felt bad about the negative PR.
Dakemesh
Hopefully that cookie costs Ford a couple million when all is said and done.
throwaway12345432
They ended up paying him something like $28000 which he says is $5000 short of what was agreed, offered him his job back and he told them no
throwaway12345432
as he should, (because fuck them for the lack of trust and not doing their jobs properly) as he'd found a better job.
Filanwizard
He should sue the shit out of them. Ford wanted to dump a six figure factory worker its obvious. Because if the boss had an ounce of common sense they would just compare transactions to time on the security cameras before even confronting. I work retail at a supermarket and it’s only a few seconds to find a transaction when one knows the terminal and time.
psmith00
shocked. i am shoc .... no, i'm not really shocked. they were going to find some reason to get rid of him and save on his salary and pension somehow. expect to see more things like this from any large corporation.
btw, after they found out he'd actually paid for the cookie and wasn't guilty of the horrible crime they accused him of that made it worth firing him, did they bring him back or even attempt it. go back as the grubstake for a new employment search.
dontrike
Weird way to turn a $2 cookie into a couple million dollar payment to the employee.
dixxienormus
But think of the money we saved.
rockmanx853000
Does anybody know if this guy was a union or non union worker?
kramorp
You really should read the article, it's not that long.
"Kurt was really proud to work at Ford," his wife, Karen Kromm, told Shifting Gears. "It's sad he wasn't supported by his union. He provides a screenshot of the payment and they don't believe him? He got his job back because he fought and provided documentation. But to leave Louisville like this? We have relationships there. This has been really hard."
rockmanx853000
Sorry I should have and thanks for that summary but holy crap what kind of union doesn’t take the side of the worker? And for something this ridiculous? I heard of factory workers destroying thousands dollars worth of equipment and product and still have a job.
NotAllowedToArgueUnlessYouPay
I remember when unions would strongly defend even the true screw-ups. Now they can't be bothered to stand behind a guy who HAS THE FUCKING RECEIPTS? That's not a union, sorry to say.
YouAreTheInsultMaster
https://media1.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExeHc2ajcybzE1bHJkZm9sOTZscG4yenQybGU2cTIzcjZoaWh4ZHh1ZSZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/1eEAo5f1NXDtxHLgLM/giphy.gif
Kawaiifive0101
My dad worked for Ford they treat their workers like SHIT!
stonebrood
please oh please let firefighting free me from the corporate hellscape I'm currently in
gandalfgandalf
Best of luck, stranger! Are you currently training/applying for jobs in fitefighting (sorry I dont know how it works)?
stonebrood
can't even drive yet so there's no real point in me going to school for it. just had a department change at my dumbass company tho so I'll have some more money at least (until inflation catches up again)
UNHchabo
Speaking of Ford, their 1.5L Turbo engine likes to grenade itself around 75k miles. This is true for model years 2014-2019, but they only issued a recall for 2017-2019. So if you own a 2014-2016, you only know about it if you pay attention to their Technical Service Bulletins.
keebs63
A cursory Google search reveals that the 1.5L engine option was added to the escape for the 2017 model year lmfao. I suggest you do even the barest minimum of research next time.
UNHchabo
I posted the Technical Service Bulletin before which covered the 2017-2019 Escape, and the 2014-2019 Fusion.
This recall notice covers the 2017-2019 Escape, and the 2017-2019 Fusion. So yes the 2014-2016 Escape didn't have this engine as an option, but the 2014-2016 Fusion did.
Something1Said
Never forget the Pinto memo. That Ford have been doing cost-benefit analyses on recalls v. injury+death lawsuits has been public for a long time. Searching for it again now landed me on a first result Medium article pretending it's a myth, so we should make sure they don't succeed in erasing it.
UNHchabo
The wiki article on the Pinto links directly to a copy of the memo:
https://www.autosafety.org/wp-content/uploads/import/phpq3mJ7F_FordMemo.pdf
dodgese
Ford fiesta and Ford focus double clutch transmission, oof
MajorNikon
Had they did even a cursory investigation, they would have found he had a CC record for the purchase. The people that should have been fired work in HR and whoever wrote that fucked up policy. It's a safe bet they still have their jobs.
[deleted]
[deleted]
MajorNikon
Now you gone and did it
LordHosk
I was fired from my hotel job because the sales manager "thought it was suspicious that I didn't want to take the promotion they offered me" from night auditor (11 pm to 7 am) to Assistant Manager (8am-4pm Friday-Sunday 4-11 Monday/Tuesday) even though it was $2 more/hour and I was like 1. The schedule suck and 2 thats not that much more money.
So they fired me for "checking guests out without them coming to the desk to check out"
LordHosk
We had 10 regular customers all working for the same company who stayed m-th who wanted their bills under their door friday morning so they could turn them in for reimbursement before heading home for the weekend.
We had been doing that for 2 years since before I started there, check them out after night audit Thursday slide their bill so they could just leave. I did that... the GM said it was a violation I was written up 10 separate times for each customer and fired.
ExTechOp
You can bet those 10 regular customers didn't continue at that hotel after that, either. So the loss was 10 weekly fares, just because of a "violation".
LordHosk
I can assure you, they moved to the Baymont down the street two weeks later.
I ran into one of them at Meijer a couple months later and they asked where I was, one of the clerks explained what happened, and they canceled their standing reservation. They weren't loyal to me, but they felt that if they would do that to me it was only a matter of time before they did something shady to them like double billing or secretly jacking rates.
BlueTyphoon
HR is basically never your friend. I've been in so many jobs at this point where the HR person specifically has come in, fired everyone and profited. all while saying their job is difficult. (mind you they usually are sitting in their office laughing it up with their coworkers/the managers, who they in turn fired once corporate started sniffing around to presumably cover it up.)
MajorNikon
HR works for the company and specifically to protect the company's interests. Never the employees'. The only time they even appear to be on the employees' side is when they are enforcing civil rights laws, but even then it's just to avoid costly lawsuits. So still working for the company's interests.
pelicanbrief
Everyone works for the company and is expected to act in the companies interest, I never understand why people don’t get that and have this wild expectation that HR is different. They do the job of picking up after shitty managers and leaders all the time. I imagine it’s a lonely somewhat thankless job and they fall foul of corporate greed like the rest of us. If you reduce your workforce by 20% you’re not going to keep the same amount of HR people. Point the hate where it’s deserved.
ElbowDeepInAPoliceState
Because hr is the direct agent of corporate fuckery. Do you also have trouble understanding why people don't like lawyers?
pelicanbrief
My point wasn’t about whether or not they should be liked, it was that I never understand the point that people make about expecting HR NOT to act in the companies interest, that’s the whole fucked up weirdness of capitalism, everyone is expected to act in the companies interests rather than their own or each others.
shameofslate
Sexual harassment training, for example. HR doesn’t care so much about employees getting sexually harassed so much as they just don’t want the company to get sued.
That way if a coworker is accused of harassment, the company can just say “Well, we made him do the training. So it’s not our fault.“
HandoB4Javert
Tenugui
Seems like something a union could have fixed
Aurzyerne
The Union rep in this story suggested Kromm apologize to the company. Appeasement.
Source: https://www.carscoops.com/2026/06/ford-fired-a-200000-worker-over-a-1-95-cookie-he-didnt-steal/
DukeDarkwood
"You did not do this, and you have proof you did not do this, but apologize anyway." is a REAL weird reasoning to come up with. Especially from the people who are supposed to be on your side.
PassiveAgressiveMan
Unfortunately in some areas unions are basically controlled opposition. They'll get people who are sympathetic to the corporation in power of the union and neuter them.
Tenugui
Since Tennessee is a right to work state, I'm curious how much recourse the union contract gives employees
MajorNikon
At best they could file a grievance and go to arbitration if it's denied. Union's often have limited resources to do this as they typically must bear half the cost of arbitration.
AndTheArghnauts
Nah, as far as my employer is concerned, my cc records are waaay beyond "cursory", and I'd rather say good riddance to a company that would axe someone over $2 of cookie. The only way they're seeing those records is if it's part of discovery in a wrongful termination suit.
Isiel89
Knowing union arbitration, those receipts would have been used in arbitration to show the company at fault and providing him with a number of things to make the ex-employee “whole,” including a possible penalty payment from the company to him.
MajorNikon
In this case that's exactly what the employee did. He refused them when they offered him his job back. The only reason they did so was because of the PR disaster, and not because of any threat of litigation.
NickRivieraMD
they don't need cc records, they coulda checked the POS.
Karma1970
I've been in contracts where management doesn't like someone and looks for a reason to fire them, even if its false sometimes. It's complete bullshit but it happens sometimes. I've told a few people I knew that were terminated for no justifiable reason to sue their employer. It's not even about getting your job back, its about making those assholes pay.
DFunny990
I used to work for Ford and got laid off for this reason. My last touchpoint I told my boss I had addressed every shortcoming but he said I was still “needs improvement”.
Next round of layoffs came around, there I go
MajorNikon
I worked for HR for a while and could tell you some stories that probably wouldn't surprise you. But yes, that happens more than most people think. The reality is the people who need to get fired are almost exclusively managers, but almost never do. I used to say show me a bad employee and I'll show you a bad manager.
Karma1970
Exactly! Many middle level managers are COMPLETELY WORTHLESS. When COVID showed many jobs can be done from home, a lot of managers SHOULD have lost their jobs but didn't. A large push for the return to office mandates were from managers wanting to justify their jobs and feed their ego.
theoccultist
In my state, except for belonging to a protected class, you can be fired for any reason or no reason at all; and the employer doesn't need to tell you that reason; and the employer is allowed to tell you a false reason if they want to.
yamsonyamsonyams
100%
My company is private too so they do whatever they want
Questionablysensible
Evrn in that stayed of the employer is dumb enough to give you an actionable reason you can due them and can win. It won't necessarily be easy or fast tho
WholeWheatBunnyHugger
In EVERY state. Even if you belong to a protected class.
theoccultist
I wasn't suggesting that you were safe if you belong to a protected class; I was saying that you can't legally be fired due to belonging to that protected class. You can still be fired for reasons not related to your protected class.
ScottPaul57
60 years old, career worker at the top of the pay scale. Replace him with a younger lower paid guy, typical of companies like since forever.....
TheElderTrolls3Morrowind
👨🦳
DavidCisme
Except Ford fired long term workers and replaced them with AI, only to re-hire them after the number of faults in their vehicles hit the roof.
FlintNorth44
ThanosDei
“Boys, we finally gottem!”
PineappleLoopsBroether
They tricked my dad into signing his retirement papers a day early and they fucked him out of his pension plan.
StarscreamAndHutch
Gonna replace him with the AI.
HeHeHebieJeebies
Having seen that occur in the a couple of companies that was my take as well, however on reading the article this is a repeating issue with thier kiosk vendor. Another employee reported others have been terminated for similar issues because the kiosks malfunction. All of those employees should join together to go after the kiosk vendor company, sounds like their pez dispensers have cost quite a few ppl reprimands and lost jobs.
WishyMissy
Every employee should pack their lunch and snacks. Boycott the kiosk. Zero sales, zero profit. All their inventory goes stale and ends up being thrown away.
StellarJay77
No, if it's such a fucking problem then Ford either needs to change vendors or suck up the miniscule amount of their profits that are impacted by their employees occasionally getting free snacks.