AUSTIN — Labor activists and former workers at a West Side manufacturer that makes seating for the CTA rallied Wednesday in protest of what they described as low wages, hazardous working conditions and barriers to career advancement.
The rally outside the Freedman Seating Company followed a report published this week by a nonprofit labor advocacy group in which three-quarters of company workers surveyed reported struggling to pay for utilities, food or housing in the last year. The report, published by Jobs to Move America in partnership with University of Illinois Chicago researchers, also detailed allegations of workplace hazards and fears of retaliation.
“We are asking Freedman Seating Company [and parent company] Lippert to become true partners with West Side workers and residents by negotiating a community benefit agreement that gives workers and community members a seat at the table,” said Andre Steele, organizer with Jobs To Move America.
Freedman Seating, 4545 W. Augusta Blvd., was acquired by Indiana-based Lippert Components in April 2025. Researchers conducted their survey during this time, polling 116 manufacturing workers at Freedman, and found a median hourly wage of $19.45 for all employees and $18.85 for those who are assembly workers.
Workplace hazards reported by employees surveyed include a leaky roof, excessive heat, poor ventilation and improper dust or fume extraction. Workers also reported fear of retaliation or discomfort informing a supervisor of unsafe working conditions.
The report underlined workers’ concerns over how these issues will be addressed under the company’s new ownership.
“Freedman is no longer the local, multigenerational company it once was; it is now part of a much larger corporate organization,” the report reads. “As Lippert integrates the business, the transition should be judged not only by whether jobs are retained or production grows, but by whether working conditions improve.”
On Wednesday, organizers rallied across the street from Freedman at Augusta Park at 4433 W. Augusta Blvd. before marching to the building with a letter outlining their grievances and calling for a community benefits agreement.
The organizing group included current Freedman employees and local labor groups like Westside Workers United, SMART Union, Get To Work and Working Family Solidarity.
Attendees at the rally spoke on needing “enforceable commitments” from the company to invest in workers and the surrounding community.
Their letter cited the Jobs To Move America report’s findings and said Freedman was “falling short on its ability to be a true opportunity for workers on the West Side of Chicago.” Organizers also pointed out in the letter that poor pay and workplace conditions persisted despite Freedman benefitting from “public contracts and accessing public money [for] facility upgrades.”
Organizers tried to deliver the letter but were turned away at the door by a Freedman staffer.
After the rally, organizers said Freedman leadership initially agreed to schedule a meeting with them within the next 10 days, but later recanted and refused to accept the letter from the group. A Freedman employee told organizers she would email them to set a date for a meeting, they said.
CEO Craig Freedman said in a statement “we do not believe this report accurately reflects the workplace culture, values, or employee experience that we have worked hard to build.”
“We have been an active member of Chicago’s West Side business community for over 30 years, with a proud track record of safely employing hundreds of workers and investing in our people,” he said in the statement. “We are committed to providing competitive wages, with every member of our workforce earning above the minimum wage, maintaining a safe workplace, and offering opportunities for continued growth.”
Hassan Blanch worked in a variety of roles at Freedman for three years before being fired last year, he said. The Austin native said he felt he could not master a job due to frequently moving stations, from working on upholstery to packing or gluing.
He said he regularly met performance quotas, but added that he felt supervisors would only increase his quotas in response. He was later told by Freedman supervisors that not meeting quotas led to his termination.
“They are constantly changing the quota because they can, and if nobody’s there to stop them they’re going to do whatever they want,” Blanch said. “You need to have respect for your workers.”
Blanch, who was formerly incarcerated, said Freedman’s willingness to hire him through the Westside Health Authority was initially appealing. However, Blanch said those feelings soured after his hourly wage of $16 remained stuck during his three years with the company.
Freedman is a supplier of transportation seating for the CTA, among other clients, according to the company’s website. The 132-year-old company has been in its current facility in Austin since 1999 and expanded to a 650,000 square-foot campus in 2024, Block Club reported.
In 2025, the company announced a $4 million investment in the complex as part of a state tax credit program, which also added 50 jobs to create a workforce of more than 700 employees.