March 8, 2000

Michael S. Bearse, LIUNA General Counsel
905 16th Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20006-1765

Dear Mr. Bearse,

Thank you for responding to my letter to General Secretary-Treasurer Booker.

I stand by my statement, "Coia is a crook who abused his power and trust as a union leader and lawyer for personal gain." Assistant U.S. Attorney and prosecutor in the Coia case, Alex Whiting said, "Our view is that this criminal conduct was something that he did while he was the union's president, and with a union vendor." "Because he was the general president, his actions represented an abuse of his position and a failure to live up to his responsibility.î Everyone agrees that, in a blatant scheme to defraud the government of taxes, Coia had three Ferraris in Viking Leasingís name.

You and I see the world through different eyes. You see Arthur Coia as a client, while I see him as a criminal who pled guilty to federal tax evasion in a scheme to defraud the Government with the connivance of a union vendor.

In the spirit of democracy and reform, I think it would have been prudent for the leadership of LIUNA, the United States Justice Department and the GEB Attorney to notify all district councils and local unions of the status of our General President and his plea bargain agreement, prior to giving the membership's money to a felon. Your letter shows just how different are the lifestyles of the General Executive Board and high-powered Washington lawyers from working Laborers. How many Laborers get $166,000 a year pension? How many Laborers are paid anywhere close to $84,000 a year?

The 1998 LIUNA LM2 Form shows Coia's gross salary as $335,516.14 for that year, when the 1996 Convention had authorized a salary of $250,000. What figure will the General Executive Board and the Justice Department use to calculate the difference between Coia's salary and pension for the plea bargain agreement pay-off? The $250,000 figure or the $335,516 reported on the 1998 LM2? If you use the $335,516, he will be paid $169,516, almost $85,000 more than the $84,000 you quoted in your letter.

The truth of the matter is the Federal Government came after Coia and the General Executive Board. He used the local unions and district councils to buy time and negotiate the best deal possible for himself and his friends at the expense of all local unions and district councils. Many LIUNA officials were expelled from the union for much less cause than a federal mail fraud felony.

Sincerely yours,

Alex Corns-Business Manager
Local 36
Daly City, California