⌛ Tenant Union Flyers

Tenant Union
1

Drafting Tenant Union 101

When we first started talking about the tenant union campaign, we had talked about why TUs are important (collective action, solidarity, “protagonism”, clarifying class interests, etc).

@Englishpete08, @NoraG, @SeanHun, and I thought it would be a good idea to consolidate that information into a “TU 101” presentation that we could share with new members and tenants that we speak to.

We are meeting on Thursday (Jan 16th) from 8:00-9:00pm to start an initial draft. If any @WCU_Members are interested, please join us. You can find the zoom link here.

If you can’t make the meeting but have articles/ideas of what we should include, please leave them below!

Resources

Book: Abolish rent: how tenants can end the housing crisis (pdf)

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Skimming this book, there’s a lack of direction from a class struggle perspective. It’s very vague in terms of actually achieving their landlordless future. Below is one of the only main mentions of socialism/communism and it is even more vague than progressive definition of “socialism is when the government does things;” it’s down to community building.

“Acting in community remakes our political orientation to our everyday life. Alcazar explained that participating in the union has transformed her relationship to the idea of “communism,” which she once associated with being controlled. Now, she says, it’s about having control. “Communist to me is community. Community working together. Common, you have everything in common. That’s communism. My dream is that one day not only Flower Drive but all these tenants unions become communist 84 communist as working together, for one purpose, getting a house for everybody.”” ([Rosenthal and Vilchis, 2024, p. 83]

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Seems more like the writer is trying to undo the negative connotation that communism has, rather than give a theoretically consistent definition.
Vagueness isn’t great but honestly might be more useful than precise technical definitions when writing a book like this

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The previous meeting’s notes can be found here: Google Docs

Below is a brief summary of what we discussed (nothing below is final):

Goal of Tenant Union 101: Develop literature that will introduce new WCU Members and tenants to the concept of a Tenant Union and the WCU TU.

Literature Outline:

Introduction: A hook.

A short paragraph about a frequent and shared frustration. Something like, "imagine you come home after work. Your landlord said he would pay someone to take care of a leak under the sink. Instead, you come home to mildewy stains on all your cleaning supplies. It might feel like there is nothing you can do, but in fact there is! Many tenants across the country have discovered a solution that turns these isolated frustrations into collective power: the tenant union! (but less lame)

What is a tenant union?

Where does a tenant union’s power come from?

Tenant Unions: Not a service, not about political advocacy, but about direct power

What you can get out of it as a tenant

How can you get started?

References

There where several previous General Meetings where we discussed the TU that we can draw from:

External Readings

If you have time, please read through the above references or find others on your own and please let others know if anything really connects with you or that you feel like we should include in this 101 literature.

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@SeanHun and I reworked the language for the flyer. Please look over the text, make any comments below or on the google doc.

The newest version is at the top of the google doc here: Tenant Union Flyer - Google Docs

But I’ve also included it below. It will be a 5x7 two sided print.

FRONT:
Landlord problems got you down? Ignored repairs? Unfair rent hikes?

You’re not alone. Many of us feel powerless against landlords. Fighting these battles solo is exhausting, rarely works, and keeps us isolated.

But what if you didn’t have to go it alone?

The Working Class Unity Tenant Union helps tenants build power together. United with our neighbors, we can fight for secure and dignified housing, demand good living conditions, and win real improvements for our families.

Ready to turn daily frustration into action? Join your neighbors at our Tenant Union Town Hall. Learn how we can take control and make our homes and community better for everyone, together.

[DATE TIME LOCATION STICKER QRCODE]

BACK :

WHAT IS A TENANT UNION?

A TENANT UNION is neighbors teaming up to have a stronger voice and making landlords provide safe, well-maintained homes.

WE’RE FIGHTING FOR secure and dignified housing: fair rents, needed repairs are made, and mistreatment from landlords ends.

WE’RE BUILDING A COMMUNITY where neighbors are more than just people nearby. We forge trust, solidarity, and support one another.

WE’RE TENANT POWERED - not a paid or government service. We help you solve your problems together, not wait for others to do it.

YOUR LANDLORD MUST MAINTAIN a pest-free building, ensure heat/water, adhere to the lease, and respect your privacy at home.

PHOTOS OF US
About us: WorkingClassUnity.com/about
[socialmedialinks]
[contact email]

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It says “You’re not alone… …But what if you didn’t have to go it alone” which feels a lil weird

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