Articles: DEVAL PATRICK EXPOSED
The Phoenix, "Deval's dance with labor: Unions spent more to help get Deval Patrick elected than he did. But does that mean he's in their pocket?" By David S. Bernstein, December 13, 2006
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"Labor activists are also keenly aware that Patrick's wife, Diane, has spent her career fighting on the employer side of the equation. Currently a partner in the labor and employment department of the Ropes & Gray law firm, she 'specializes in advising and representing employers' on employment law and collective-bargaining agreements, according to the firm's Web site. 'Many of us suspect Patrick is far more conservative than people realize,' says one former labor lobbyist. "'He's an unknown story,' says another local labor leader. 'He's a Clinton centrist. He'll probably govern from the center.'"
The Boston Globe, "Patrick questioned on labor commitment," By Andrea Estes, September 17, 2006
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"Last week, union leaders raised questions about Patrick's commitment to organized labor after hearing from several of their members that he built his Richmond summer estate with nonunion workers.
" 'As Massachusetts labor leaders it was disconcerting to hear recently that your more than $3 million project in Richmond, MA is being constructed entirely without the use of union labor,' wrote Stephen G. MacDougall, president of the Boston Carmen's Union and a vice president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO; and Robert Losi, president of the Mail Handlers Union."
The Bridge, "Patrick took millions to defend corporate crimes," By Ray Rogers, August 25, 2006
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Boston Herald, "Killer Coke' pol attack has very little fizz," By Brett Arends, August 24, 2006
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"What sort of campaign is Killer Coke? From the Web site: 'The Campaign to Stop Killer Coke/Corporate Campaign Inc. is calling on anti-Bush and anti-war supporters and leaders of the Stop Bush/Anti-War Movement to aggressively support and promote a boycott of (Coke banker) SunTrust Bank . . .' "
NECN, "Sneak attack in Democratic primary for Governor," August 22, 2006
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You can access this video by clicking on page 1 of the 3 under the pictures on the right. Then click on "Sneak attack in Democratic primary..." You might want to see "Political Bloggers" found on page 3.
The Boston Globe, "Patrick's path from courtroom to boardroom," By Brian C. Mooney, August 13, 2006
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Valley Advocate, "Killer Resume: Can Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Deval Patrick overcome his Coca-Cola past?" by Maureen Turner, August 10, 2006
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"Patrick has emerged as a particular target for the campaign. 'Patrick made millions in salary, bonuses and stock options at Coke while downsized and laid-off workers here and abroad struggled to survive,' Rogers blasts. 'He tolerated and defended Coke's vicious, union-bashing conduct in Colombia and ignored the severe environmental damage Coke inflicts on the people of India by exploiting and polluting their water resources. All the while, he pocketed plenty of the ill-gotten profits that came from Coke's aggressive marketing of unhealthy soft drinks to schoolchildren.' "
The Boston Globe, "Killer Coke stages protest at Patrick event," By Yuxing Zheng, August 10, 2006
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" 'If we weren't here, these issues won't be discussed,' said Ray Rogers, director of Killer Coke. 'If the residents of this state want Big Oil and Coca-Cola in the State House, at least they know who they're voting for.' "
The Boston Globe, "Killer Coke's charges go flat," By Joan Vennochi, August 10, 2006
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"One fallacy in Ms. Vennochi's column is her comparison of our campaign to that of the Swift Boat Veterans. While the Vets organized only to stop John Kerry's bid for president, the Campaign to Stop Killer Coke has been active for a number of years — since early 2003. One of the campaign's earliest acts was to distribute a leaflet at an event on Oct. 23, 2003 where Mr. Patrick was receiving an award.
The Campaign wrote at that time:
"On Oct. 23, 2003, the organization Equal Justice Works honored Deval Patrick, General Counsel of Coca-Cola, for his role as an "advocate for civil rights, equality, and fairness in the workplace." Members of the Campaign to Stop Killer Coke protested the decision to give Mr. Patrick the "Scales of Justice" Award and handed out leaflets about Coca-Cola's outrageous record of human rights violations in Colombia. Several attendees at the awards ceremony in Washington expressed their own unease and anger over the organization's choice of an honoree.
"According to a statement by Terry Collingworth, Executive Director of the International Labor Rights Fund, Patrick's activities in his current position at Coca-Cola "nullify any basis" for the award. The campaign to expose Coke's complicity is founded on the assumption that public relations gimmickry is no substitute for corporate accountability, nor should an apologist for corporate crimes be honored by any organization that claims to promote human rights.
Our opposition to Mr. Patrick has been consistent — we still believe that an "apologist for corporate crimes {should not] be honored..."
The Boston Globe, "Candidates squawk, but money talks," By Derrick Z. Jackson, August 9, 2006
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"We will know that Patrick is serious about healthcare when he says Coke and Pepsi should be pulled out of every school system in the country and he uses his resume as President Clinton's top civil rights attorney to urge civil rights organizations to stop taking money from companies that could care less about whether we drink ourselves into diabetes and early graves.
"But Patrick is not likely to bite the hand that paid him millions of dollars. His competitors likewise have their hands in the till of compromise and irony."
State House News Service, "PATRICK CRITIC HEADING FOR MASS., INTENDING TO DOG CANDIDATE," By Jim O'Sullivan, August 8, 2006
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This article incorrectly states that Campaign to Stop Killer Coke Director Ray Rogers is "planning to disrupt Deval Patrick campaign appearances this week..." Ray Rogers has no intention of disrupting Deval Patrick's campaign events. However, he hopes to reach out to the public with the truth about Deval Patrick.
The Boston Globe, "Critics tag Patrick's corporate role: Group seeks to tie candidate to abuses," By Frank Phillips, August 7, 2006
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The Boston Globe, "Patrick says he quit The Fly Club in 1983: Nine exclusive clubs at Harvard limit membership to men. A gubernatorial candidate's link to one renews debate on elitism." By Frank Phillips, August 3, 2006
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"Yesterday, Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Deval Patrick, who has been stressing his hardscrabble South Side Chicago roots and his campaign of inclusion, told the Globe that he resigned his membership in the all-male Harvard Fly Club in 1983 — five years after he graduated from Harvard College."
The Boston Globe, "Deval's United years," By Steve Bailey, July 28, 2006
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"Earnings plunged, and United, the country's number two airline, faced considerable labor problems. One union complained that Patrick, named to the board to represent employees, had undercut its efforts to organize workers...In one instance, the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers charged that Patrick undermined its organizing campaign by holding meetings with workers where he supposedly promised wage increases."
The Boston Globe, "Filings by Patrick detail income of $3.8m in 2005," By Frank Phillips and Andrea Estes, May 31, 2006
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"Democratic candidate for governor Deval L. Patrick made $3.8 million last year, including $360,000 for serving as a director of the parent company that oversees the controversial Ameriquest Mortgage Co...Until Patrick filed his state-required financial disclosure yesterday, he had refused to disclose his pay from ACC Capital Holdings. In January, Ameriquest agreed to a $325 million nationwide settlement over charges of predatory lending activities...also reported 250 holdings in stock and municipal bonds, but does not give a value for any of them. A filer is required to list only those holdings in stocks or bonds worth more than $1,000 in fair market value. He also listed 83 stocks and other equities that are in family trusts.
"Reilly participated in the national settlement with Ameriquest, announcing that $12 million would be distributed to Massachusetts homeowners who said they had been victims of Ameriquest's practices. Reilly has been a sharp critic of Patrick's involvement with the firm.
" 'It seems to me that he reaped a big payout on the backs of the very people who were scammed by his company," Reilly said in a statement yesterday."
Berkshire Eagle, "Patrick earns $3.8m," Associated Press, May 31, 2006
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The Boston Globe, "Patrick says he will resign post tied to Ameriquest," By Frank Phillips, May 16, 2006
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"Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deval Patrick said yesterday that he will resign from the board of the firm that runs Ameriquest Mortgage Co., one of the nation's largest lenders, which has been accused of predatory lending practices.
"Reilly and other attorneys general reached a $325 million settlement with the mortgage company, resulting in the distribution of $12 million to Massachusetts homeowners who said they had been victims of predatory lending.
" 'One of the major differences between Deval Patrick and me comes down to one word, Ameriquest. While I fought them and helped get millions of dollars back for Massachusetts residents who were scammed by this predatory company, he was on their payroll,' Reilly said in a statement.
" 'I find his mission accomplished declaration very troubling, because there is no evidence that this predatory company has changed,' Reilly said. 'Today's announcement by Mr. Patrick doesn't end the need for him to disclose fully the specifics of his financial relationship with Ameriquest.'
"Patrick has defended Texaco when it faced water pollution allegations and defended Coca-Cola when it came under fire for human rights abuses at a plant in South America. 'Progressives are sometimes uncomfortable in principle with people who work for companies,' he said...'Whether at Texaco, Coca-Cola or Ameriquest, I have never left my conscience at the door.'
The Boston Globe, "Patrick's mortgages amount to $5.9m," By Frank Phillips, March 8, 2006
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"Patrick has heavily mortgaged his family's real estate. He and his wife are now carrying mortgages worth a total of $5.9 million on their Milton home and a Berkshires vacation home...The mortgages include a $1.28 million mortgage from the SunTrust Bank, a bank that has close ties to the Coca-Cola Co., where Patrick was a vice president and general counsel for four years...
"The Patricks have always met their obligations, public records show, with the exception of a period in 1996, when Patrick was assistant US attorney general in charge of the Civil Rights Division in Washington. That year, a tax lien was placed on the Patricks' Milton home after they failed to make payments on $8,778 in back taxes they owed to the IRS."
The Phoenix News, "The promise and peril of Deval Patrick's business background," By Adam Reilly, February 16, 2006
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"From 1999 to 2001, he served as Texaco's vice-president and general counsel, overseeing the company's legal affairs and a high-stakes merger with Chevron...Next, Patrick joined the Coca-Cola Company...in 2003, Corporate Counsel magazine ranked him as the fourth-highest-earning GC in America...Patrick and his wife had a tax lien placed on their home several years ago, and are carrying mortgages totaling approximately $6 million...
"Reilly currently seems preoccupied with Patrick's ties to Ameriquest. And why not? After all, Reilly was one of 49 state attorneys general to reach a recent settlement with Ameriquest stemming from allegations of unscrupulous lending practices. Patrick doesn't just sit on the board of ACC Holdings, Ameriquest's holding company; he also wrote a letter supporting the nomination of Roland Arnall, the company's founder, to become US ambassador to the Netherlands. Arnall, in turn, has been a major donor to and fundraiser for President George W. Bush.
"Last week, when the Senate approved Arnall's nomination, Reilly issued a statement that essentially condemned Ameriquest as corporate vermin.
"Patrick continued working with Coke after quitting, receiving $2.1 million for consulting work in 2005."
Eyewitness News (Fox), "Bank (SunTrust) waited two years to record $1.2 million loan to Patrick," February 7, 2006
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Former Coke general counsel and secretary Deval Patrick is currently running for governor of Massachusetts. SunTrust Banks is known as the Bank of Coca-Cola. Coke and SunTrust share many board interlocks and the bank supplies Coke with hundreds of millions in loans and holds billions of dollars of Coke stock. Because of this, the Campaign to Stop Killer Coke says: "You can't trust SunTrust, the bank of Killer Coke."
Valley Advocate, "The Real Thing? For some liberals, Baystate gubernatorial candidate Deval Patrick's campaign doesn't go better with Coke," By Maureen Turner, September 22, 2005
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"In some forums, Patrick has said his resignation was in protest of Daft's decision; the bio on his campaign Web site implies he left because he was tired of commuting from his home in Milton to Atlanta and New York on Coke business. Daft retired from Coca-Cola last year, and earlier this year, Patrick returned to the company, accepting a consulting job that will pay a reported $2.1 million through the end of 2005. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which called the contract a "payout," noted that the deal came with "no obligation to work any particular hours during any period of time" and required Patrick to relinquish his right to sue the company.
"Valley activist Kate Harris, who helped organize efforts to ban Coke on the UMass campus, doesn't believe that Patrick pushed Coke to address the issue. Rather, she says, he was pushed himself when confronted at the awards event, then 'responded by making a grandiose promise that he was unable to keep.'
"Harris has traveled to Colombia to visit union organizers and hosted some at events in the Valley, and she is convinced of their reports of company-supported violence. 'They are telling the truth--at great personal risk, to both them and their family members,' she wrote in an e-mail to the Advocate. 'They have nothing to gain through this--these are people of great courage and integrity standing up to this huge multinational that has a long record of exactly this behavior. ...' Harris adds, 'I think [Patrick] is an opportunist with big political aspirations and I find nothing in his record that earns him the label of "progressive." ' "
The Boston Globe, "Patrick tied to company under fire: Subsidiary's lending practices questioned," By Frank Phillips, April 20, 2005
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"Deval Patrick...last fall joined the board of directors of a large national mortgage company that has been criticized by state regulators and advocates for the poor for what they say are unfair lending practices aimed at low-income people and members of minority groups.
"Ameriquest is a privately held holding company whose co-owner donated $5 million to a conservative political group that last fall produced ads that ridiculed Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry for switching positions. One ad showed him sailing back and forth on a windsurfer.
"Dawn Arnall and her husband, Roland E. Arnall, are the principal shareholders in Ameriquest. They also cochaired President Bush's inaugural committee. Dawn Arnall donated $5 million last August to the Progress for America Voter Fund, an independent political group known as a 527 committee that spent $35 million in a media blitz last fall to attack Kerry. She and her husband have been major donors to Bush over the last several years."
Boston Herald, "Coca-Cola deal hikes Patrick's finances for gov campaign," By Ann Donlan, April 8, 2005
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"Deval Patrick has inked a consulting deal with his ex-employer Coca-Cola that puts $2.1 million into his pocket as he inches closer to a decision to run for governor in 2006.
"The 12-month consulting deal, while not a political contribution, could help Patrick close the fundraising gap with Attorney General Tom Reilly...
" 'One contribution from Coca Cola makes you even with Tom Reilly in the fund-raising department,' said political consultant Scott Ferson. 'That's the real thing.' "
Mothering, "Does Coke Money Corrupt Kids' Dentistry?" by Allen D. Kanner and Joshua Golin, March/April 2005
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"John Ruby was angry.
"We also obtained a copy of a letter, dated March 17, 2003, to Dr. David Curtis, then president of AAPD, from Dr. Robert Shaw, then president of the Washington State Dental Association, which said, 'Congratulations! In a moment of bad judgment and/or pure greed, you have managed to undermine the efforts of the state [dental] associations to get soft drinks out of schools by legislation or negotiation...The really sad thing about this is that severe damage has been done, and it is permanent. Even if you backed out of the deal today, you have forever undermined the credibility of the dental profession with regard to soft drinks.'
"Dr. Shaw's letter was referring to Coca-Cola's and PepsiCo's practice of signing 'pouring contracts' that give beverage companies exclusive rights to sell and market their products in schools. Recently, the Minnesota Dental Association (MDA) vigorously supported a bill to ban soda drinks from schools, only to have the bill killed at the last minute as the result of successful maneuvering by professional lobbyists from Coke and Pepsi. As MDA fought Coke, AAPD was taking money from the company."
Bloomberg Markets, "The $150 Billion Shell Game," By David Evans, August 2004
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"...in George Town, the capital of the Cayman Islands...stands a green-trimmed, white, five-story office building called Ugland House...official address of 12,748 companies. Ugland and other office buildings in George Town are home to subsidiaries of more than 150 U.S. corporations, including Coca-Cola Co.
"Scores of the biggest U.S. companies use havens like the tax-free Cayman Islands...to escape billions of dollars in U.S. taxes, says Senator Byron Dorgan, a Democrat from North Dakota...Coke used the Cayman subsidiary to
" 'When companies, including great companies like Coca-Cola, decide they want to minimize their participation in the payment of taxes for that which we enjoy in this country, it bothers me,' Dorgan says."
"Four companies alone have accumulated a combined total of more than $75 billion in earnings untaxed by the U.S.: Hewlett-Packard Co., Merck & Co., Pfizer Inc. and Coca-Cola...
"With the offshore tax savings and other tax breaks...the company's effective U.S. tax rate was reduced to 20.9 percent for 2003...Coke's tax savings came as the company's board of directors...told shareholders in its annual report that it had scaled back work in high-tax nations, firing a total of 3,700 employees in the U.S. and Germany last year..."
"Dorgan says, 'I'd like to see just a small dose of patriotism with some of these companies because they do well as American companies, they're protected by our military, they access all our transportation, our education facilities and so on. They want all the benefits of American citizenship except that of paying taxes.' "
Human Rights Watch, "El Salvador: Child Labor on Sugar Plantations: Foreign Firms Use End Product of Children's Hazardous Work," June 10, 2004
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"Businesses purchasing sugar from El Salvador, including The Coca-Cola Company, are using the product of child labor that is both hazardous and widespread, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today."
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Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, "Lawsuit says local Coke bottler discriminates," By Chris Nisan, 5/19/04
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"Robertson's fight with Coca-Cola began in December of 2001 when she was denied a job at Coca-Cola's Eagan bottling facility for the second time in as many years.
" 'Coca-Cola Enterprises maintains a commitment to recruit, hire and train individuals without regard to race,' said Kevin Morris, vice president of public affairs for Coca-Cola Enterprises.
But Jordon Kushner, Robertson's attorney, begged to differ. "What makes this case real notable is that, to our knowledge, this Coca-Cola facility has never hired a Black woman until after this case was filed.'
"The EEOC affirmed Robertson's suspicions. 'We investigated Ms. Robertson's charge and found probable cause of discrimination,' said Tina Burnside, a senior trial attorney with the EEOC. 'We found that there were other Black women who were also denied jobs,' Burnside said. 'We tried to settle the case through conciliation but were unsuccessful. It was then that we filed a lawsuit.' "
Campaign to Stop Killer Coke (Flyer), "NO Sympathy for Deval...The Killer Coke Counsel," October 2, 2003
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"Led by Deval Patrick, the Coca-Cola legal team has reached new lows in the socalled corporate responsibility movement.
"Unable to dispute the facts, Coca-Cola is pursuing a corporate shell game defense. The company claims that the people who were murdered and tortured under the Coca-Cola signs in the Coca-Cola bottling plants that send profits back to Coca-Cola in Atlanta have no recourse against Coca-Cola and should instead subject themselves to further risk of violence by seeking justice in Colombia. Mr. Patrick's team seeks to maintain an incredibly unjust, uncivil and unfair system that allows companies to enjoy the best of both worlds in their overseas operations, by profiting from human rights violations while limiting liability to a local entity that is a mere facilitator for the parent company's operations.
"This represents a grave threat to innocent workers worldwide..."
Wall Street Journal, "Into the Fryer: How Coke Officials Beefed Up Results Of Marketing Test," By Chad Terhune, August 20, 2003
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"About two years later, on Feb. 4, 2003, Mr. Whitley sent Mr. Heyer, who had just recently become Coke's president, an e-mail about the Richmond test and unrelated allegations of accounting fraud and earnings manipulation. Mr. Heyer didn't respond to the e-mail, Mr. Whitley says. Mr. Heyer declines to comment. On March 26, Deval Patrick, the company's general counsel, responded to a follow-up e- mail from Mr. Whitley and pledged to conduct an internal investigation into his allegations. Mr. Whitley lost his job that same day.
"In May, Mr. Whitley, 37, filed wrongful-termination suits against Coke in state and federal court in Atlanta. Mr. Whitley contends he was retaliated against for being a whistleblower. In court documents, Coke said Mr. Whitley's termination was part of 1,000 layoffs in the company's North American operations. Coke has asked the courts to dismiss Mr. Whitley's lawsuits."
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"Deval Patrick, Executive Vice President and General Counsel of The Coca-Cola Company, said: "Mr. Whitley was a diligent employee with a solid record. It is disappointing that he felt he needed to file a lawsuit in order to be heard.
" 'We want everyone in this company to bring their issues to the attention of management through appropriate channels, and every manager to take them seriously, investigate them, and make the necessary changes. That is how we become a better company,' Mr. Patrick said."
Deval Patrick likes to highlight his position in the mid-90s as head of the U.S. Justice Dept Civil Rights Division. Yet he showed no discernable leadership regarding racial discrimination problems while serving as a highly-compensated director of Coca-Cola's largest bottler, Coca-Cola Enterprises, which during his tenure on the board for 2001-2004, remained mired in racial discrimination lawsuits.
Atlanta Business Chronicle, "Race discrimination suit targets Coke bottler CCE," By Jim Lovel, May 2, 2003
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"Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc., the world's largest bottler of Coke products, is battling a class-action lawsuit that accuses the company of racial discrimination at its Cincinnati bottling plant.
"The class includes at least 500 current and former employees, according to Randolph Freking, the Cincinnati attorney who filed the lawsuit. That number could increase to several thousand if the court allows minorities who applied for jobs at the plant to join the class, Freking said.
"CCE's annual report, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 28, lists other legal proceedings involving the company but makes no mention of the lawsuit.
"Freking said he suspects that other bottling plants owned by CCE have similar problems and could be targets of class-action lawsuits."
Atlanta Business Chronicle, "Coke execs get big incentives," By Meredith Jordan, March 15, 2002
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"However, Coca-Cola's agreements with Dyson, Heyer and Patrick are disclosed in the company's recent SEC filings.
"The new management, like the old, is an elite club. In addition to being paid millions of dollars in salary, annual bonuses and stock, they are entitled to significant payouts if they are terminated and juicy perquisites. Those perks include everything from country club membership to use of the company's corporate planes for personal and family use and fees for financial management.
"Patrick had a 'make whole' payment of $1 million, half of which was paid when he was hired, and the other half paid Jan. 15. Patrick also got 10 years of credit on his pension and a minimum of four weeks of paid vacation per year.
"If Patrick is fired before he reaches the three-year mark, he gets a payment of $1.55 million. If he's fired after that, he gets two years of salary and a payment equal to the average annual incentive paid during the previous three years."
Boston Herald, "Rain forest pays the price of oil; Suit claims Texaco polluted Ecuador," By David Talbot, August 28, 1999
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"Reporter David Talbot and photographer Justin Ide traveled to the once-pristine rain forest of Ecuador to report on a class-action lawsuit alleging that Texaco Inc.'s oil exploration there has left a legacy of disease and environmental damage on a colossal scale...
"As Texaco fights plaintiffs' charges that it inflicted 'cultural genocide'in Ecuador, the company in the past year hired a new general counsel well-known in Massachusetts, Deval Patrick of Milton, a former chief of the U.S. Justice Department's civil rights division. He contends the plaintiffs shouldn't have access to U.S. courts, only those in Ecuador - a move Bonifaz says would effectively kill the lawsuit. Patrick declined an interview request.
"'This has the potential of being a groundbreaking case,' said Arthur Berney, a professor of constitutional law at Boston College Law School, who filed a brief supporting the lawsuit. 'It is going to cause the corporations of the United States to think twice about how they conduct their businesses abroad, whether it be the kinds of harm that occurred with Texaco, or in the workplace, as with some of the footwear manufacturers in Indonesia.' "
The Boston Globe, "Lawyers bankrolling candidates: $1.7m given to Healey, Reilly, Patrick," By Frank Phillips and Chase Davis, April 9, 2006
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"Some of Patrick's funds came from Ropes & Gray (where his wife, Diane, practices), whose employees gave about $22,000; Mintz Levin, whose donors gave about $21,000; and Goulston & Storrs, whose lawyers gave approximately $17,000. Patrick also collected about $9,800 from donors at Brown Rudnick, which, in a bitter court battle that divided much of the legal community, lost a fight against Reilly to get an additional $1.3 billion in legal fees for its handling of the 1998 tobacco settlement."
