U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) wants to amend federal housing law to support tenant unions.
On Thursday, he was in New Haven to advocate for his new legislation with union organizers from one of the state’s first tenant unions. He’s co-sponsoring legislation to amend the U.S. Housing Act of 1937.
Under current law, only some people in federally supported housing have the right to organize without fear of retaliation.
Blumenthal said Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher recipients and residents of federally-assisted units in Low-Income Housing Tax Credit properties deserve the same rights.
“Tenants need tools to protect themselves, and we have an obligation to provide safeguards so they can organize, come together and leverage their power against those predatory landlords that are raising rents or engaging in abusive, retaliatory convictions,” Blumenthal said.
The legislation would fine landlords who retaliate against tenants for union organizing, and give the tenants grounds to sue.
Connecticut has 17 tenant union chapters.
Luke Melonakos-Harrison is the vice president of the state-wide tenants union. He said they’re on the front line of the affordable housing crisis.
“Tenants are organizing to defend and advance their rights, to keep rents affordable, to live in safe and healthy living environments, to prevent unfair evictions, and to be the Democratic force of directly impacted people who are going to intervene in the most impactful way,” Melonakos-Harrison said.
Blumenthal and Melonakos-Harrison visited the Blake Street Tenants Union, which was the first in the state to win a collective bargaining agreement (it wasn’t easy). It was also the first legally recognized tenant union in New Haven, which has city-wide regulations for recognizing unions.
The group from Blake Street is also trying to buy the complex.
