Ford Motor Co. and food-services vendor Aramark are reviewing the functionality of self-serve kiosks inside food stores at the automaker’s U.S. factories after some employees were fired following accusations of stealing items, which the workers maintain they paid for and point to possible flaws in the kiosks’ system.
Three union members with knowledge of the events interviewed by the Detroit Free Press say they believe there is a glitch in the vendor’s self-service machines resulting in the wrongful terminations of employees. The Free Press is not revealing the names of the members because they were told by their supervisors to not speak to the news media. The UAW administration did not respond to repeated requests for a comment on this situation.
Also, one of the union members and a Ford official both confirmed to the Detroit Free Press that at least three people who were recently fired from the Michigan Assembly Plant for alleged theft in the food store have been brought back to work after an investigation cleared them. The Detroit Free Press is not naming the Ford official because they said they are not authorized to share that information with the media.
Ford spokesman Dave Tovar told the Detroit Free Press on July 9 that Ford and Aramark were reviewing the functionality of the kiosks in Ford U.S. facilities for any possible problems.
“We have invested significantly to upgrade our workplaces, including self-serve kiosks operated by Aramark to provide 24/7 convenience for our employees,” Tovar exclusively told the Detroit Free Press. “We are aware there have been some issues raised regarding the kiosk functionality in some limited cases, and we are working with Aramark to review these situations.”
Similarly, Aramark spokesman Chris Collom told the Detroit Free Press on July 10 that it understands the concerns and it is “reviewing the instances in question. We remain focused on operating with integrity and accountability.”
As of July 15, Tovar said the companies were still reviewing the kiosks and had nothing new to announce.
But according to Brendan Fluker, who works at the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, the kiosks — which have been in existence at the plant for at least a decade — have a history of malfunctioning.
“People go in and scan an item, swipe their card and it beeps like the payment went through and then they see it didn’t go through after people check their bank statement,” Fluker said. “Or, they see they were double charged. It will sometimes freeze in the middle of a transaction. People will pay for stuff and not get a receipt.”
General Motors also uses Aramark for vending services, spokesman Kevin Kelly told the Free Press, but it has not experienced any issues. A Stellantis spokeswoman said the company would not comment on suppliers.
Instant termination
Fluker told the Detroit Free Press that recent reports of workers being fired for alleged theft of snacks from factory marketplaces has some workers now afraid to use the kiosks at Michigan Assembly.
“With people getting let go recently, people are pretty much afraid to use that kiosk right now — at least I am,” Fluker said. “I’ve been in this plant for five years. I’ve heard of people getting in trouble for stealing from that market, but I’ve never heard of someone getting fired on the spot for it. That’s been a recent thing.”
Most recently, Fluker said his friend and former colleague, Nick Nabozny, 38, was one of the people fired for allegedly not paying for a bag of Doritos and package of Ritz crackers from the self-serve snack shop.
Nabozny, who lives in Harrison Township and is a member of the UAW, told the Detroit Free Press that he had worked for Ford for nearly nine years, the last five years on the assembly line at Michigan Assembly, where Ford builds the Bronco SUV and Ranger pickup.
He said he had a good record and showed the Detroit Free Press proof that Ford awarded him a $100 gift card for perfect attendance in 2024 and again in 2025.
Yet, on the morning of April 27, Nabozny said, his bargaining representative told him: “This is not good. The company wants to terminate you for theft.”
“I asked, ‘What did I steal?’ ” Nabozny said. “He said, ‘They have you on camera in the marketplace stealing food.’ 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?’ “
Nabozny said he made about $40 an hour and he worked overtime regularly to boost his income to support his wife and two children. In 2025, he earned $89,000 and this year he was on pace to make close to $125,000 with overtime.
Ford has said in the recent past it does not comment on personnel matters.
A video, a meeting, immediate termination
Aramark has camera surveillance set up around the marketplace because there are never any human attendants there, just self-serve kiosks, a person familiar with the process, but not authorized to speak to the media about it, said. Aramark reviews videos of transactions and matches it up to the kiosks and if it finds some evidence that someone did not pay, Aramark notifies Ford management who then notifies the union to bring the employee in for disciplinary action, according to the Ford official, various union members and Nabozny’s experience.
Nabozny said that during his meeting with management on April 27, he was shown the video from the marketplace on April 11. He said it was taken at about 4:30 p.m. at the end of his overtime shift.
“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,” Nabozny said. “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 the machine made a chime sound, which in his experience meant the payment went through, and he saw “something flash on the screen that it registered my payment.” So he took his items, which he said cost less than $8, and left.
In Nabozny’s meeting with the company, he said, he was told even though he scanned the items and touched his debit card, it timed out as he walked away so the system failed to process his payment. When he pulled up his bank account to show proof that he paid, that was the first time he said that he realized it did not go through because it was not on his bank statement. Still, he could not believe he was fired over what he said is clearly a mistake.
“There was no talking to me, no review, no ‘You’re a great employee, been here for nine years … was it a mistake?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘OK let’s get it paid for and go back to work,’ ” Nabozny said. “No. Immediate termination.”
A similar incident in Kentucky
A similar incident happened at Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, where Ford builds the F-Series Super Duty pickup, Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs.
The automaker reportedly fired an electrician earning more than $200,000 a year over the alleged theft of a $1.95 chocolate chip cookie. Kurt Kromm, 60, told Shifting Gears, a Substack publication, that Ford had him escorted out of the plant after accusing the diabetic of stealing a cookie during his overnight shift May 9.
Ford cited breakroom surveillance video showing Kromm getting a failed-payment screen on a kiosk. Kromm said he was lightheaded at the time and that he successfully swiped his debit card on a second terminal before eating the cookie to raise his blood sugar.
Kromm later produced a bank statement showing the $1.95 charge did go through. Ford offered to rehire him after confirming the payment with Aramark, according to the article, but Kromm already had moved back to his hometown in Wisconsin and landed a better-paying new job.
Ford vows to get it right
Nabozny said he does want this job back. In a grievance filed with Ford by the union, which Nabozny shared with the Free Press, his union representatives stated: “It is important to note that the kiosk used for payment has a documented history of malfunctioning, which creates a high likelihood of transaction errors and customer confusion. Mr. Nabozny had no intent to avoid payment and acted in good faith.”
It notes that given the minimal value of the items Nabozny is accused of stealing and his good work history it would be reasonable to conclude he would not jeopardize his job over two snacks.
“The circumstances instead suggest a possible equipment failure rather than intentional misconduct,” the grievance states.
The grievance said the union is demanding Nabozny get his job back with full benefits, recoup lost wages, not lose any seniority and have his record cleared. Nabozny said he has no idea how long the grievance process might take and has not been given updates from his union representatives.
For now, he has cashed out his 401(k) retirement account for money to support his wife and two kids.
Nabozny said he remains hopeful he will get his job back, but if he does, he will make a vow.
“I loved working at Ford. Everything I have for my family has come from working at Ford,” Nabozny said. “If I end up getting my job back, I will never ever spend a cent in that store again. I will never set foot in it. I spent thousands of dollars over the years in that store. I’d rather starve.”
Jamie L. LaReau is the senior autos writer at USA TODAY Co. who covers Ford Motor Co. for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Jamie at jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. To sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ford reviewing snack kiosks after employees fired over alleged theft
Reporting by Jamie L. LaReau, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jamie L. LaReau, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
