The Tenant Union Federation (TUF) is a national federation of tenants' unions in the United States, describing itself as a "union of unions".[1][2]
 | |
| Abbreviation | TUF |
|---|---|
| Formation | August 6, 2024 |
| Location | |
Director | Tara Raghuveer |
| Website | tenantfederation.org |
The TUF was founded in 2024 by the Kansas City Tenants Union, Connecticut Tenant Union, Louisville Tenant Union, Bozeman Tenants United and Not Me We.
The Director of the Tenant Union Federation is currently Tara Raghuveer.
Establishment
editThe COVID-19 pandemic saw tenants face increased housing insecurity, due to many landlords' hiking rents, as well as an increased threat of evicition during lockdowns and slowed economic activity.[3][4] This compounded with existing factors, such as high rents and poor housing maintainence by landlords[3][4] These issues resulted in the formation of new tenants' advocacy organizations in the form of tenants' unions[3][4]
Some tenants' unions considered that local organizing only within their city area had limits whilest many landlords’ property portfilios and political influance span beyond that locality.[1][3] Responding to this, efforts began in April 2024 to form a national organization between five tenants' unions—Kansas City Tenants Union, Connecticut Tenant Union, Louisville Tenant Union, Bozeman Tenants United and Not Me We.[5] After the members of the five unions voted in favor of forming a federation of the trade unions, in June, the national leadership team of the TUF held its first meeting.[5] The Tenant Union Federation was officially launched in August 2024.[1][5][6] The establishment of the TUF marked the largest campaign of tenant unionism since the National Tenants Union of the late 70s and 80s.[1][4][7]
Each union sends two representatives to the national leadership team of the TUF.[5] KC Tenants Union representative Tara Raghuveer was chosen as the first Director of the Tenant Union Federation[3][5]
Tara Raghuveer has said that the TUF plans to expand the membership of the federation in 2025. In the meantime the TUF is focused on developing training and support for new tenants' organizations.[1][3][5] The TUF also intends to connect with organized labor.[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f Burns, Rebecca (10 August 2024). "Tenants' Unions Across the US Now Have a National Federation". jacobin.com. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ Hood, Nydja (8 August 2024). "KC Tenants join movement to organize nationally, fight against rising rent rates". KCTV. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Brey, Jared (16 August 2024). "Housing Prices Lead to National Tenant Organizing". Governing. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ a b c d Dougherty, Conor (15 October 2022). "The Rent Revolution is Coming". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 23 October 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Zach, Perez (8 August 2024). "Building on success in Kansas City, KC Tenants helps form first-ever national tenant federation". KCUR. NPR. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ "Tenant Union Federation Officially Launches" (PDF) (Press release). Tenant Union Federation. 6 August 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ Dreier, Peter (19 December 1979). "In Depth: A National Movement of Tenants Is Shaping Up". In These Times. p. 19.
Further reading
edit- Raghuveer, Tara; John, Washington (2023). "The Case for the Tenant Union" (PDF). Povery & Race. 32 (1).
- Fernando, Aaron (4 October 2024). "Could This Rolling Rent Strike Make the Feds Protect Tenants?". Shelterforce.