Tenant organizers regroup after rent-control ballot defeat

Tenant organizers across western Massachusetts are regrouping after [Massachusetts' highest court tossed out a rent-control ballot measure] last month, vowing to continue their fight against rising rents through new strategies and strengthened regional networks.

The state Supreme Judicial Court struck down the ballot question on a technicality, preventing voters from deciding whether to establish rent stabilization that would have limited annual increases to 5% or the Consumer Price Index, whichever was lower. The setback came after activists had spent nearly a decade building support, collecting over 157,000 signatures from residents backing the measure.

Milla Wenick, a tenant at 126 King Street in Northampton, said the fight continues despite the ballot defeat. Wenick reported that their landlord, Michelle Sun, entered their apartment unannounced for an inspection last fall, and other residents faced rent increases of up to 9% and broken air-conditioning units during a heat wave. The building's tenants formed the 126 King Street Tenants Association and held a sidewalk protest last week to draw attention to conditions in their building and across the city.

Organizers are now shifting their focus to a [local option bill] that would allow cities and towns to decide independently whether to adopt rent stabilization. State Sen. Adam Gomez, D-Springfield, is backing the legislation, telling The Shoestring that renters face impossible choices between medicine, food, and housing costs. Gomez said implementing rent control would be cheaper than managing homelessness. Springfield's City Council voted unanimously to support the bill, which has been reported favorably by the state Senate and is currently in the Committee on Ways and Means.

Kat Miller, an organizer with the Greenfield Tenants Union, said the pivot to local organizing remains a priority even as activists express frustration with lawmakers. "We're frustrated and we're angry," Miller said. "It would just be nice if, for once, the people who were in charge would listen to the people that hired them to be in charge." The Greenfield union, only three months old, has attracted dozens of members after Miller's landlord raised her rent by 20% and then 40%.

New tenants unions have formed throughout the region as the organizing effort expands. Natalia Ruiz, an organizer with the Easthampton Tenants Union, said the failed ballot campaign unexpectedly strengthened connections between unions across the state. Ruiz is now working on public education about tenants' rights and planning to build coalitions with other unions in eastern Massachusetts. August Nelson of Springfield No One Leaves said organizers are frustrated that their message had no official outlet. "There's no place for our voice to be heard," he said at last week's Northampton protest.