Deval Patrick on Jobs Democratic Governor (MA) and presidential contender

Address "skills gap" by aligned community college strategy

We can do something about that. And our community colleges should be at the very center of it.

We have 15 public community colleges, uniquely positioned to help close our skills gap. They must be aligned with employers, voc-tech schools and Workforce Investment Boards in the regions where they operate; aligned with each other in core course offerings; & aligned with the Commonwealth's job growth strategy. We can't do that if 15 different campuses have 15 different strategies. We need a unified community college system. To support this mission, I will propose to increase overall funding by $10 million.

At Coca Cola: transform employment practices and policies

I moved to Coca Cola in a similar capacity in the wake of a similar employment discrimination class-action lawsuit. I worked to resolve serious charges of worker mistreatment at a bottling plant in Colombia and to investigate a whistleblower scandal that ensnared a good, mild-mannered man who was trying to do the right thing.

Pledge to work with AFL-CIO means being open to all voices

PATRICK: I have lots of labor and other endorsements and I haven’t traded a quid pro quo for one of them.

HEALEY: What did the pledge say?

PATRICK: I have pledged to be open and respectful to all voices. I’m going to do with labor as governor exactly what I’ve done with labor in private business. Which is to negotiate, to do that in an above-board way, to do that within fiscal constraints and to produce an outcome that serves us all. What we need is an active and broadening economic base and to do that in practical ways.

Increase the minimum wage

Increase small business access to credit.

State Small Business Credit Initiative, which would strengthen innovative state programs that support small business lending. In our states, these programs are facing increased demand, yet the budgetary pressures we face have limited their ability to fill the credit gap left by the financial crisis. These innovative programs include those that augment collateral values for small businesses and manufacturers who have seen them decline as a result of the financial crisis, capital access programs that contribute to loan loss reserves that allow banks to expand credit to more businesses, and loan guarantee and other programs that help share risk with lenders that are willing to extend credit to viable small businesses, manufacturers and farms that are crucial to a strong recovery. By supporting these programs, the State Small Business Credit Initiative would leverage Federal funds several times over to enable billions in new lending to small businesses that can support new job creation. We urge you to take immediate action to increase small business lending in the United States. While our nation's economy continues to recover from this great recession, small businesses in our states continue to struggle to gain access to the credit they need to create jobs. We believe federal action is necessary to remedy this issue.

We strongly support a comprehensive package being considered that would include expanding the size of Small Business Administration loans and temporarily extending successful Recovery Act provisions reducing fees and raising guarantees for SBA loans, enacting tax incentives for small business investment, and a proposal for a $30 billion Small Business Lending Fund that would provide community banks with capital and incentives to increase lending to small businesses.

In addition, we especially want to convey our support for a new proposal for a