The Case for
the Tenant Union
The basic premise of the tenant union is that there are more of us than there are of them.
“Us” represents the tenants, and “them” represents our landlords. Classically, tenant unions operate within a building, where neighbors come together to improve conditions or negotiate with their landlord.
But in today’s context, the necessary fights can’t always be fought building-by-building; tenants organize neighborhood, citywide, and statewide unions to contest against the bigger forces of capital that shape the places where we live.
“The tenant union is the necessary intervention in the landlord-tenant contradiction.”
“The Case for the Tenant Union” by Tara Raghuveer and John Washington
Organize
If you are organizing with your neighbors, in your building, neighborhood, or citywide, we want to hear from you! Complete this form and we will be in touch.
Resources
Rose Lenehan and Tara Raghuveer, In These Times
Josh Poe, Shelterforce
Thomas Birmingham, In These Times
KC Tenants, Hammer and Hope
Joseph Bullington, In These Times
Conor Dougherty, The New York Times
Nick Romeo, Guardian
Tara Raghuveer, Boston Review
Fran Quigley, Jacobin