Underwood votes today in favor of pay equity; Oberweis has record of dismissing equal pay for women and spousal abuse
Representative Lauren Underwood voted today to pass H.R. 7, the Paycheck Fairness Act – a landmark bill that strengthens the rights of working women and ensures transparency and accountability in how women are compensated for their work. The vote comes just days before Equal Pay Day on April 2nd – a date that underscores the fact that women still only make 80 percent of what their male colleagues make, on average, and only 78 cents on the dollar in Illinois.
While Rep. Underwood is fighting for equal pay for hardworking Illinois women, Jim Oberweis has a very different record. In 2014, during one of his many losing campaigns, Oberweis called pay equity measures a “handy campaign prop.” Worse, Oberweis even implied during a State Senate hearing that wage theft and “wife beating” were based on “differences of opinion.”
“Illinoisans deserve a representative in Congress who is going to fight to make sure that their hard work pays off – regardless of their gender,” said DCCC spokesperson Mike Gwin. “While Lauren Underwood is working in Washington to ensure that women get the pay that they’ve earned, Jim Oberweis has a long and troubling record of dismissing the pay gap, and the rights of women to be fairly paid for their work.”
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