Republican politician Oberweis abuses and gets rich from illegal labor

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-ober09.html

Two undocumented workers from Mexico have filed a complaint with the Illinois Department of Labor alleging Republican dairy magnate Jim Oberweis and a Lake in the Hills subcontractor paid them well below minimum wage to clean three suburban Oberweis ice cream shops.

Immigrant rights activists said although Oberweis was unaware that Rosa Ramirez and Jorge Ibarra were allegedly hired and exploited by the subcontractor for a mere $3.23 an hour, as chairman of Oberweis Dairy, he is still responsible. They further characterized the gubernatorial candidate as a "hypocrite," since he blamed illegal immigrants for destroying the country's economy in his failed bid for U.S. Senate last year.

"{Oberweis} says that we should not be here, and then he hires us, abuses us, and gets rich off of our work," Ramirez, 41, said in Spanish during a news conference Tuesday at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights offices, 36 S. Wabash.

Oberweis: 'Dirty politics at work'

Patmar Janitorial Services promised Ramirez and Ibarra $350 each for every two weeks they cleaned up Oberweis stores in Arlington Heights, Hoffman Estates and Schaumburg during the month of May, according to coalition executive director Joshua Hoyt. But the two northwest suburban residents, who were supervised by Oberweis employees and used the company's cleaning supplies, were only given half the amount promised, Hoyt said.

copterman got caught using illegals! i guess there is no question now -it`s judy "you got a cigarette?" bar topinka!

This story or his standard fair of video of Mexicans climbing over fences on the border. You tell me.

Don

Whittle down that far right field in the IL GOP governor race!

Get that sucker down to one and Topinka can be beat!

Even Blago could beat one of the far reichwingers.

...of a subcontractor?

They should be focusing on the sub-contractor that hired them and subsequently didn't pay them....

He is the Republican politician here. That is the least we can expect from someone seeking elected office. Lets get his answer on the record. Perhaps the sub-contractor says Oberweis knew he was going to hire illegals? Have you considered that? Wouldn't you like to know if that were the case? Does no good having some Democratic apologist answering these questions for them. Don't you agree?

Don

...was going to use illegal aliens? Do you have a link, or proof of that? Is that what the accusation is here? That he KNOWINGLY sub-contracted the work to someone that he KNEW was using illegal aliens, and that he KNEW that they were going to get stiffed on their pay?

It would be interesting to see what proof you have of that.

He has run for statewide political office in Illinois twice now. Each time he has focused on illegal immigrants. It's his main issue. At the same time, he is in charge of a dairy company. It's his company with the name "Oberweis Dairy". In the end, it is his decision on who he does business with. You would think that if he was serious about illegal immigrants he would make it a company policy to not hire illegal immigrants and make sure that the company is doing business with like minded companies. Hell if my stance was as against illegal immigration as Oberweis is, I would make sure that my company didn't even do business with anyone who could possibly engage in such activity.

I see where your point is though and to a certain extent I agree. Oberweis is not in charge of every little action of everyone in his company. However, given the circumstances of his political campaigns, he has set up a big target on his back for this sort of thing.

I have an open mind. And I would just like to hear Mr. Oberweis own explanation of this...while under oath of course. We can go from there.

Don

This particular situation is a goldmine for his opponents, but it leaves out the obvious fact that he was NOT reponsible for the hiring practices of someone that bid for the sub-contract. The focus should be more on the sub-contractor, and why HE hired illegal aliens, and why HE under-paid them. The reason he got the bid is probably due to the fact that he underbid his competition. Now we know how he was able to do that. I HIGHLY doubt that Jim Oberweis would KNOWINGLY sub-contract out a job to someone that he KNEW was using illegal aliens bearing in mind his widely-criticized stance on that issue, and the liklihood that if this was discovered it would detonate any chances he might have for the republican nomination.

n/t

Lets get him into court, put him under oath, and ask him if he was or was not aware of it. Thats the best way. Thats what courts are for. Don't you agree?


Don

That he is somehow responsible for the hiring practices of someone else? That's just ridiculous. If the sub-contractor, you know, the guy that ACTUALLY EMPLOYED THE ILLEGAL ALIENS, says that Oberweis was well aware of the practice of using illegals, THEN, and ONLY then, would you have a reason to even consider some sort of charges, but as it stands he is accused of sub-contracting a job out to someone that used illegal aliens, without his knowledge, and the sub-contractor then underpaid those aliens...