Unions help US workers. Could the same model work for tenants?

Collective bargaining has brought benefits to workers – now it’s being used to improve living conditions and fight rent increases

On a recent Friday night in San Jose, California, a small group of Spanish-speaking renters sat in the clubhouse of their apartment complex wondering whether the room was bugged. “Let them listen,” said a young man, with a dismissive gesture.

They were meeting to strategize about forming a tenants’ association to bargain collectively with their large corporate landlord. Along one wall of the room hung large white posters with the names and unit numbers of residents and their yes-or-no response to a survey about their willingness to participate in a rent strike.

Continue reading… Collective bargaining has brought benefits to workers – now it’s being used to improve living conditions and fight rent increasesOn a recent Friday night in San Jose, California, a small group of Spanish-speaking renters sat in the clubhouse of their apartment complex wondering whether the room was bugged. “Let them listen,” said a young man, with a dismissive gesture.They were meeting to strategize about forming a tenants’ association to bargain collectively with their large corporate landlord. Along one wall of the room hung large white posters with the names and unit numbers of residents and their yes-or-no response to a survey about their willingness to participate in a rent strike. Continue reading…