Build the tenant movement!

For Oneonta tenants to get what we want, we need to build a real movement that brings together tenants across the city. We need to build a union which makes that movement a reality.

This movement is still in its infancy and getting it to sprint won’t be easy. But it won’t happen without tenants organizing ourselves to fight for our interests.

To start building a tenant union and a powerful tenant movement, we need to rally as many tenants as possible around a shared concern. That concern is the fight for the ‘good cause eviction law’.

If you are a tenant interested in fighting for yourself and winning the good cause eviction law, get involved!

Oneonta Tenant’s Movement Structure

At Large Members

Membership is open to any tenant who agrees to our points of unity. A tenant is anyone who does not own their housing. This includes renters, whether they live in private or public housing, along with students in dorms and apartments, and the homeless. Everyone who is exploited by today’s housing market is welcome into the ranks of OTM.

Building Cells and Associations

The basic units of OTM are the tenant associations and building cells. Building cells are the groups of two or more tenants who live in separate units of the same building who work together as part of OTM. A building cell becomes a tenant association when it either 1. has a membership of the majority of the tenants in a building, or 2. Has a membership of at least 10 tenants in the same building, whichever number is smaller. 

It is the role of the cells to organize in their own buildings. This can come in a variety of forms, but we give special emphasis to calling for building wide gatherings that allow tenants to share their concerns, demands, and plan for action. Beyond that, building cells also organize petitions and other actions. The biggest task of a building cell is to form an association with the aid of the rest of the movement. Once an association is formed, they are given autonomy in calling for strikes to win immediate demands. The associations are self-governing. Building cells and/or associations are expected to meet to discuss tenant union work at least once a season.

Neighborhood Locals

The next level up from the building based groups are those organized on the street, block, or neighborhood level, the locals. The locals can form from the affiliation of building cells/associations, and/or the affiliation of at large members who share the same street, block, or neighborhood within the same ward. The locals carry out most of the day to day organizing work and coordinating actions between tenants in the same neighborhood. To count as a local, a neighborhood group must have at least five members and representation of at least two buildings. The neighborhood locals are also entitled to elect their own working groups to help tenants with specific issues. Student members who live in dorms can also form school based locals. The locals are expected to meet at least twice a year.

city-wide union and ward sections

All the locals, at large members, associations , and cells are brought together in the city wide organization. Members can call for actions which are voted on across the organization for the coordination of strikes and protests. Locals are entitled to elect delegates to coordinate action across the city. If necessary, this can also occur on the level of the wards. All decisions made by the elected delegates must be approved by a vote of the membership to be made official.

The city-wide union should have a yearly congress to decide on its direction.

Organizing committee

This structure will not form itself. It must be organized intentionally by tenants willing to stand up for themselves. Until this structure is built out, the organizing committee is made up of tenants who have taken the responsibility to create it.