What Becomes of the UAW Statue?

It was one of the worst pieces of statuary ever erected in greater Detroit (and that is saying something considering the Joe Louis fist downtown). In 2001, Ford, the UAW and Visteon agreed to fund a daycare centers for UAW workers. The statue here went up in the first center in Sterling Heights. The three preposterous looking life-size statues are of then UAW chief Steve Yokich, Bill Ford and Visteon CEO Pete Pestillo. Visteon, facing financial hardship, says it will stop its funding of the centers, citing low participation rates by workers. Just 1% of 8,000 eligible families use the centers, says Visteon. Ford says it will keep its funding up. But if the project goes bust, will the UAW erect Yokich at its headquarters? Will Ford put Bill’s likeness up at Dearborn headquarters alongside Henry Ford II’s or at The Henry Ford Museum? And just who the hell will want a life-size statue of Pete Pestillo?—Jim Burt