Dwayne Johnson calls Ford factory workers 'clock punching champions'

Actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who has visited the Dearborn Truck Plant where the Ford F-150 is made, tweeted a shoutout to blue-collar factory workers in Ford plants, as well as Ford CEO Jim Farley.

"Thank you, as always to your entire Ford team of execs and most importantly, the Ford blue collar, clock punching champions who always deliver for the people." Johnson tweeted to @jimfarley98 late Monday afternoon.

Ford employs the most hourly automotive workers in the U.S. with approximately 57,000, Of those, Ford confirmed Tuesday that 18,526 workers represented by the UAW build F-Series trucks and parts at Dearborn Truck; Kansas City Assembly in Claycomo, Missouri; Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, and the Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake.

The shoutout to workers, well, that's no surprise to Bernie Ricke, who represents more than 14,000 workers in southeast Michigan, including the Rouge plant, as president of UAW Local 600.

"Workers at Dearborn Truck go to work every day and put their heart and soul into that truck and it’s recognized around the world," he told the Free Press on Tuesday.

"You know that sticker we put in the windshield, 'Built Ford Tough With Rouge Pride at Dearborn Truck'? Well, we have requests from people who have their windshield broken and want that sticker. I've had letters from Chile, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Canada, all over the United States," Ricke said. "A guy from Switzerland, he had two F-150s and sent me a $10 bill to pay for stickers for his windshields. I sent the money back and sent him the quality stickers."

Last week, after a special theater showing of his new film "Red Notice," Johnson gave his Ford F-150 Raptor pickup to U.S. Navy veteran Oscar Rodriguez, who provides support and meals to survivors of domestic violence. Rodriguez had been invited to the screening to be honored by the action hero for his work. But the truck was unexpected.

Rodriguez crumbled to the ground in shock and then quickly jumped up to hug Johnson and then wipe away tears before calling his girlfriend.

The surprise gift, captured on video and tweeted by Johnson to his 15.5 million followers on Nov. 24, went viral.

Three days later, Farley retweeted the video and said, "Kindness matters. Nice work, DJ."

The exchange on Twitter has been quoted, retweeted and liked by movie fans, truck owners and military service men and women.

In response to Johnson's most recent tweet, Amber Serrano replied from @Amber_Serron0, "My husband comes home from deployment at Christmas and you are his workout inspiration. He is about to be 48 and has been in the army for 28.5 years. Thank you for supporting our troops!"

A few people tweeted questions about whether Johnson was being paid by Ford for his generous public comments. The answer is no.

While Johnson has worked with Ford in years past, the business relationship expired and there is no current contract, a Ford spokesperson confirmed.

In October 2015, Ford announced a multiyear deal with Johnson as it launched a 30-second TV spot called “The Specialists at Ford” — featuring Johnson as the leader of a crew of Ford technicians. At least one commercial was filmed in Dearborn.

“My relationship with Ford began when I was 15 and bought a classic ’77 blue Thunderbird as my first car — and I’ve been a Ford man ever since," Johnson said in a news release at the time.

Marcus Collins, a marketing expert and business professor at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, said the way Johnson engages the public is consistent with his personal and professional image.

"We know The Rock as someone who is always giving, as someone who cares," Collins told the Free Press. "To see him doing this is genuine. It is on brand for The Rock. He works hard. He's a good dude. He's just always giving of himself."

This kind of activity is when social influencers are at their best, when they inspire people to comment and talk about things, Collins said. "It has a positive impact because that's how culture is negotiated, through discourse. People discuss and debate. This is super cool."

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As for the shoutout to hourly factory workers, well, that's no surprise either, Collins said. "This is among the most marginalized group of people. And The Rock is looking out for the little guy, the people who are doing the work, who build these trucks. These are the people you'd want to shout out."

Someone from the gym where Rodriguez used to work as a personal trainer nominated him for the award and film producers invited him to the screening, KABC reported.

KABC lists Rodriguez as a resident of Culver City while his Instagram account says Los Angeles. Culver City is in L.A. County.

"Hugging @therock is worth a thousand trucks!" Rodriguez posted on his Instagram account. "I could have gone home content and satisfied knowing I got a BEAR HUG from Dwayne Johnson, A Living Legend. Cheers to you brother. I pray for more hugs ... #kindnessmatters #hugsovertrucks"

Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: 313-618-1034 or phoward@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @phoebesaid. Read more on Ford and sign up for our autos newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dwayne Johnson praises Ford workers after giving away custom truck