More than a Union
A worker tenant council is more than a union. But it’s roots are union strong. In 1905, Russian unions initiated a general strike but needed a body to coordinate between all the various industries and shops. From that, the first workers councils were born from the workers themselves! At that time they didn’t survive because they let liberals and capitalists take power in the Duma Congresses, instead of taking power themselves. But when those liberal congresses failed, the councils came back with all of the working and oppressed masses, including a major alliance with the peasants, and made the revolution on their backs!
Normally, a union brings together the workers from one business or one industry, and they represent one form of mass power, which they use to negotiate with owners for incremental gains on a contract.
A tenant union might unite several properties or the renters in an area, and they represent one form of mass power, which they use for incremental gains in their living conditions and rents. But they also only each account for a fraction of the working and renting population, and a fraction of the whole movement. Sometimes unions will coordinate actions, but those involve individual connections among various unions. To achieve more than incremental gains, unions have to unite with each other and with the rest of the working class organizations.
One purpose of a worker tenant council, among others, is to unite all of these scattered unions into local hubs, where not only can unions coordinate among themselves, but also among other working class organizations. But they can also reach non-union council members, to form or join a union themselves, participate in pickets, or help with strike aid.
Unions can also send local representatives to participate in council procedures and actions, give presentations, enforced boycotts on bad businesses, assist in setting up new councils, and unions could consider creating a union council-fund to assist with council-related actions or contribute to council mutual aid groups.
A worker tenant council isn’t itself a union, and it isn’t just unions, but unions are a valuable symbiotic spoke in the council hub. If you’re in a union, consider rallying yours to help create a worker tenant council in your town! It can start from anywhere! After all, the first councils were born as general strike committees between industrial unions who were done accepting scraps from the owners and the government.