Tenant Delegation

Tenants Face the Other Half of Economic Oppression

While workers form the most visible group of economically exploited people in today’s society, those who rent face the other major form of exploitation, including both those who also work and those who are either unable to work (for age or ability) or who play the vital role of homemaker, laboring outside of the system.

This group of renters is the second largest category of working class person, and it is a category that has been growing larger as private equity makes homes unaffordable and unavailable, while many others become smalltime landlords for “passive income” limiting the stock of homes and living off of the labor of their Tenants.

While affordability and availability of homes are the top problems, renters also face the same crises of affordability and availability on units they don’t even own. Beyond even skyrocketing rent prices, tenants often have to deal with poor quality and negligent building maintenance, an opaque relationship with the landlord or building management, degrading and arbitrary rental conditions like prohibitions on pets or rules against redecorating, and arbitrary retributions by landlords for perceived slights. All of this while being rent burdened and having no power to demand more, or else face eviction.

Tenant unions help sections of renters to bargain for marginal gains on their rent and living conditions, just like trade unions help sections of workers to bargain for marginal gains on their wage and working conditions. Forming a tenant union is one step towards an organized renting class, and tenants across the country and the world should unionize their buildings. But while unions have their place, they won’t solve the issues of tenancy alone, and the mass formation of unions itself is only possible with additional force to help the process.

Tenants Must Unite Beyond Their Buildings

Inside the Worker-Tenant Councils, tenants and tenant unions can coordinate their efforts, assist with setting up new Tenant Unions or aggregating them together, push for collective ownership, or even put together a political force to create local policy change. Outside the system, tenants can organize for Rent Strikes and eviction defense networks, or collaborate with the houseless delegation to secure safe housing for all. At regional and national levels, the Tenant Delegation can change the foundation of tenancy in our society.

While the Tenant Delegation of the Worker-Tenant Councils is the second largest delegation, it is also a co-equal delegation, meaning that no matter how many or how few people are members, it still equates to one full delegatory vote on Council matters.

All local working-class renters, whether or not they perform formal work or are named on the lease, as well as representatives of Tenant Unions, are voting members of this delegation. Members of the Tenant Delegation will elect their own, non-voting leadership to guide and facilitate discussions and to serve as a main point of contact for the delegation, as with other delegations.

On all Council matters related to living conditions, building safety, rent, and other issues of Tenancy, members of this delegation will open, lead, and close discussion. All Council committees on Tenant issues will be chaired by members of this delegation.