Resources to Support Union-Led Housing Initiatives
NEWS
Unions and Community Groups Win Social Housing Legislation in California
California’s new law will result in a “study and recommendations on expanding the state’s social housing sector.” It’s the result of years of organizing by the Housing Now! coalition of unions and community organizations. Read more.
PODCAST
The Dig
Featuring Hannah Srajer on building tenant unions by applying labor organizing models. Listen here.
PODCAST
The Dig
Featuring Gail Radford on her classic book Modern Housing for America: Policy Struggles in the New Deal Era. Listen here.
NEWS
Los Angeles Voters Pass Nation’s Largest Municipal Housing Program
Unions, tenant groups, community groups, faith-based organizations, and others united to draft and pass a ballot measure that raises taxes on real estate sales over $5 million to fund affordable housing projects and tenant supports and resources. Read more.
REPORT
Using Workers’ Pension Funds to Solve the Housing Crisis
Americans For Financial Reform Education Fund and Georgetown University’s Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor produced a wideranging report detailing how pension funds can be invested in affordable housing initiatives that also promote labor rights and take power away from bad corporate actors. Read more.
HISTORICAL BRIEF
A History of Union-Built Housing in New York City
In the early 1900s, labor unions in New York City built affordable housing coops for thousands of people. In These Times provides a fascinating overview of how unions accomplished this and how it can be replicated today. Read more.
CASE STUDY
Boston Teachers Union Bargains for Housing Justice
The Boston Teachers Union (BTU) is one of several unions incorporating the fight for affordable housing and support for homeless students and families into their bargaining process. BTU organized with parents and community groups on their bargaining for common good proposals to address housing issues in Boston. Read about their journey here.