Ford and Aramark are reviewing the Kurt Kromm Ford Aramark cookie dispute after some employees were fired over alleged thefts they said were mistakes. The review covers self-serve snack kiosks at Ford U.S. facilities, including the Michigan Assembly Plant.
Ford spokesman Dave Tovar said on July 9 that the companies were looking at kiosk functionality and that Ford had invested significantly in the systems, which Aramark operates to provide 24/7 convenience for employees. As of July 15, Tovar said there was nothing new to announce.
Michigan Assembly Plant
At least three people who had recently been fired from the Michigan Assembly Plant for alleged theft in the food store were brought back after an investigation cleared them. Brendan Fluker, a worker at the plant, said he had been there for five years and had seen the kiosks in place for at least a decade.
Fluker described payment problems that workers said had become familiar: a scan and card swipe that appeared to go through, then a later bank statement showing it did not; double charges; freezes in the middle of transactions; and purchases that produced no receipt. He said recent firings had made some workers reluctant to use the machines, adding, “With people getting let go recently, people are pretty much afraid to use that kiosk right now — at least I am,”
Aramark review
Aramark spokesman Chris Collom said on July 10 that the company was reviewing the instances in question and remained focused on operating with integrity and accountability. The review followed the same disputed episodes that workers linked to possible glitches in the vendor's self-service machines.
Fluker also said he had heard of people getting in trouble for stealing from the market before, but not of someone being fired on the spot for it until recently. One of the people recently fired from the Michigan Assembly Plant was Nick Nabozny.
The current review leaves workers at Ford U.S. factories waiting on a practical answer: whether the kiosks are functioning as intended or whether payment problems are driving discipline that has already been reversed in at least three cases. Ford and Aramark are still reviewing the systems, and that is the part employees using them now have to live with.
