Headache for Ice Cream Man

From your Chicago Public Radio:

Two undocumented workers living in Chicago's northwest suburbs say Oberweis Dairies paid them less than half the state's minimum wage to clean its stores.

Rosa Ramirez and Jorge Ibarra filed a complaint late last week with the Illinois Department of Labor.

Illinois gubernatorial candidate Jim Oberweis chairs the dairy company, and has taken strong stances against illegal immigration in his campaign.

Joshua Hoyt, executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, says, "If someone like Oberweis, who's demagogued against illegal immigrants, is using their labor for his company, it just shows that as a nation we're living with a lot of hypocrisy."

Meanwhile, Oberweis says the complaint is politics at its worst, especially as the race for governor heats up. He denies the allegations and says Oberweis Dairies has done nothing wrong.

He also says the cleaning subcontractor who hired Ramirez and Ibarra should be held solely responsible for any possible wrongdoing.

I am sure we all share Oberweis' disgust at the very idea that someone would use the issue of illegal immigration for political gain.

Outrageous!