Patrick: Workers face layoffs without concessions

BOSTON - Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick said he isn’t kidding when he says he will have to cut up to 2,000 state jobs if workers don’t agree to wage concessions.

The governor told The Associated Press in an interview Friday that he has no other choice as Massachusetts faces a projected $600 million budget shortfall for the remainder of the fiscal year.

Patrick, a Democrat, also dismisses Republican criticism that he hasn’t acted swiftly or aggressively enough the past two years as tax collections have plummeted.

Patrick said people are “reading about things we should do that we’ve already done.“

GOP gubernatorial candidate Charles Baker said Patrick hasn’t been as aggressive as private employers.