A new report reveals widespread concerns about working conditions at Freedman by Lippert, a Chicago seating manufacturer, ahead of the pending merger of Lippert’s parent, LCI Industries (NYSE: LCII), and Patrick Industries (NASDAQ: PATK).

The report by Jobs to Move America, based on a survey and interviews of workers at Freedman Seating Company, raises questions about job quality at a significant supplier of public-sector transit components. Key findings include:

  • Low wages: The median hourly wage for survey respondents was $19.45 – 13.8% below the median wage for comparable production occupations in the Chicago Metro Area, according to BLS data. The median hourly wage for surveyed assemblers ($18.85) is closer to the city’s minimum wage of $17.05 than to the Chicago Metro Area median of $20.99 for assembler occupations.
  • Household precarity: Roughly three-quarters of respondents reported struggling to pay for utilities (77%), food (74%), or housing (71%) at least sometimes over the past year; and 62% reported difficulty paying medical expenses at least sometimes.
  • Health and safety hazards: 81% reported noticing one or more workplace hazards in the preceding 12 months. The most frequently cited hazards were a leaky roof (68%), excessive heat inside the factory (52%), rodents or pests (52%), and poor ventilation (50%).

Workers also reported barriers to career advancement and fear of retaliation when speaking up about hazardous conditions.

Freedman’s significant public-sector customer base includes the Chicago Transit Agency and the transportation authorities of Los Angeles and New York.

“The report raises questions about the quality of jobs at a company supported by public contracts and tax incentives,” said Marcos Feldman, the JMA researcher who authored the report. “We tend to support manufacturing because we think the sector provides good jobs and raises labor standards. But that is not what we found at Freedman.”

Previously a Chicago family-owned company, Freedman was acquired in April 2025 by Lippert Components, a subsidiary of LCI Industries. The two largest RV parts suppliers, LCI Industries and Patrick Industries, are slated to combine in an all-stock merger, subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals. The merger has raised potential antitrust concerns and faces extended review by the U.S. Department of Justice.

About Jobs to Move America

Jobs to Move America (JMA) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that conducts rigorous, independent research to develop the ideas, practices, and policies necessary to build a just new economy. For more than a decade, federal, state, and local policymakers have relied on JMA’s research to inform their decision-making at the intersection of public procurement and emerging industries. JMA has recently produced leading insights into industries such as electric school bus manufacturing, microchip manufacturing, and lithium extraction.

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