Union leader Coia diagnosed with cancer of prostate

11.19.97

Union leader Coia diagnosed with cancer of prostate

By JOHN E. MULLIGAN

Journal-Bulletin Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON -- Arthur A. Coia, the embattled general president of the Laborers Union, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, he told his members yesterday.

But Coia, 54, of Rhode Island, told union members in a written message that the diagnosis has come at an "extremely early" point in the course of the illness. Thus, Coia said, "the treatment I will undergo has a 90 percent cure rate."
Coia said, "I will undergo surgery in the near future, and anticipate a short, few weeks' recovery," during which time he will continue to oversee the union.

Coia was diagnosed with another form of cancer, Hodgkin's disease, at about the time he became chief officer of the union in 1993. After treatment for the disease, however, Coia received a favorable prognosis for full recovery.

The union's internal cleanup unit recently lodged corruption charges against Coia that could cost him his job. Coia declared his innocence and vowed to contest the charges. No date for hearings has been set.

The Journal-Bulletin's Web site, projo.com, includes an archive of Journal-Bulletin reports on Arthur Coia dating back to 1995, with links to related sites. Go to: http://ww.projo.com/special/coia/main.htm.