Union History

FIRST TENANT ASSOCIATION MEETING

Our first tenant meeting in the lobby to address repairs and the neglect of our buildings.

FIRST TA MEETING WITH LEGAL

Our first tenant meeting with legal representation from Manhattan Legal Services to address repairs, neglect, and stolen deposits

LEGAL AID SOCIETY SUPPORTS

Tenant meeting with Legal Aid Society and Manhattan Legal Services.

LANDLORD STOPS PAYING MORTGAGES

Our former landlord, Issac Kassier, of Emerald Equities, stopped paying on the buildings which initiated a foreclosure case.

RENT STRIKE BEGINS

Some tenants with rent-impairing violations begin their rent strike.

EVERYONE ON STRIKE

Tenants are encouraged to go on rent strike in solidarity and to show collective power. We also hosted a press conference to announce our strike and expose the 400+ open HPD violations.

COUNCILMEMBER SUPPORT

We met with former Councilwoman Diana Ayala to ask for support. Later this month, we hosted a rent strike party to celebrate our collective power.

FIRST MEETING TO DISCUSS PRESERVATION PURCHASE

Tenant meeting with legal updates and the first discussion of what happens next! We discussed what a preservation purchase would mean for our buildings. We also wrote a demand letter to the bank to work with the TA.

CREATING ORGANIZING COMMITTEES

Tenants established organizing committees for 3 of the buildings to have regular meetings to strategize, organize, and plan.

RENT STRIKE ENDS FOR LEGAL REPRESENTED TENANTS

The court appointed a receiver, who is to act as a temporary landlord, prompting the end of the rent strike for tenants with legal representation.

BUILDINGS PARTNER WITH EHEBCLT

Tenants voted in favor for partnership with East Harlem El Barrio Community Land Trust (EHEBCLT). Organizers started a campaign to earn a supermajority in favor of the CLT in each of the buildings.

LAWSUIT SETTLEMENT

Our lawsuit against our landlord was settled. We had to pay most of the money withheld during the rent strike to our receiver; however, the tenants secured 6 months of withheld rent totaling to about $500k.

RETENTION WALL

On February 28, the retention wall fell and partial vacate orders were issued on 2 of the buildings.

MAYOR MAMDANI VISITS EAST 103RD STREET

Mayor Zohran Mamdani visited East 103rd Street to speak with tenants, organizers, and see the conditions of our homes.

RENTAL RIP OFF HEARINGS

Tenants from East 103rd Street shared testimony at the city’s rental rip-off hearings.

BANNER DROP AND ESTABLISHING EHTU

We dropped a banner that reads “buyers, back off our block” as part of our “buyer beware campaign” in preparation for the buildings to go to auction.

We officially established our neighborhood tenant union: East Harlem Tenant Union.

FIRST ENDORSEMENT

We proudly endorsed Darializa Avila Chevalier for Congress to represent NY-13.

EMERALD EQUITIES CANVASSING BLITZ

We started canvassing other buildings in the portfolio that was previously owned by Emerald Equities as an effort to expand tenant power.

ESTABLISHING LEXINGTON AVENUE TENANT ASSOCIATION

We proudly helped organize another cluster of 4 buildings previously owned by Emerald Equities along Lexington Avenue between East 100th and 101st Streets.