“Our elected leaders have strongly supported our efforts in the streets and at the bargaining table to fight for fair pay and decent working conditions for our members. The gains won are being steadily eroded by soaring house prices.”
Chris Janaro
Tenants and housing activists took part in a rally in Manhattan last week.
The housing affordability crisis is impacting all of New York State. No matter how hard New Yorkers work, it’s becoming nearly impossible to make ends meet, stay home, and find affordable housing. The rising cost of living is forcing families to make difficult choices about whether they can afford to stay in the state.
The City of Albany will address this crisis head-on by passing a just-cause eviction bill that provides necessary tenant protections while countering the unfair practices of landlords who continue to evict tenants through rent increases and intimidation tactics. There is no way we can pass it through the next Congress.
As the leader of one of New York’s largest labor unions, I have seen firsthand how devastating the housing crisis is and the impact it is having on our members. Our members — working-class New Yorkers who work in essential jobs to keep our state running — are increasingly struggling to make ends meet.
Our elected leaders have strongly supported our efforts to fight for fair pay and decent working conditions for our members, on the streets and at the bargaining table. But the gains we have made are being steadily eroded by soaring house prices.
More than 40% of New Yorkers are renters, including many RWDSU members. Rental prices in New York are reaching new highs, and the costs are forcing more people out of their homes. To make matters worse, New York City’s vacancy rate is at its lowest in 50 years, making it nearly impossible for New Yorkers to find decent, affordable housing.
But this isn’t just a New York City problem. Unfortunately, unaffordable housing costs are hitting other parts of New York hard as well. Although Syracuse is now the most competitive rental market in the United States, 45% of renters in Western New York pay more than a third of their income on rent. In Rensselaer County, pending eviction applications, in which landlords are not required to provide just cause for eviction, increased 68 percent from 2022 to 2023.
This data is a shocking indictment of violations of tenant protection laws that are simply not working for working class New Yorkers. Today, if you’re one of her four million New Yorkers living in unregulated housing, your landlord can raise your rent to any extent at the end of your lease without telling you why. Or they can kick you out of the house entirely.
New Yorkers rightly want our leaders to address this crisis head-on. To truly stand up for workers and our communities, we must stand up for their right to have an affordable roof over their heads.
Just Cause limits annual rent increases to 3 percent or 1.5 times the rate of inflation (whichever is higher) and requires landlords to provide just cause for evicting tenants, encouraging workers to stay in their homes. This will help you pay your rent. Tenants who face rent increases beyond this cap or who believe their evictions are illegal could sue their landlords.
Tenants across New York, including RWDSU members, have worked tirelessly to build support for Goodwill for years, and their organizing has had a powerful impact. Good Cause Eviction already has the support of many senators and members of Congress in Albany. Senate Democrats have vowed they won’t agree on a budget without “protections similar to those found in just-cause eviction laws,” and a majority in the chamber will “protect tenants from arbitrary and capricious rent increases and unreasonable increases across the state.” “We will enact a policy for this purpose.” Evicting paying tenants. ”
Nevertheless, there are still calls for a “Swiss cheese” version of the just-cause eviction bill that would require areas outside the five boroughs to opt-in, as well as provisions denying protections to tenants based on their size. The size of the building or landlord’s real estate portfolio.
This would devastate thousands of tenants in the state and greatly weaken the impact of the housing policy bill. These carve-outs could put at least 67 percent of non-New York City renters (872,000 households) at risk of predatory rent increases and retaliatory evictions, leaving many members and working New Yorkers unprotected. Leave it alone.
Working people are the backbone of New York. Whether it’s a pandemic or a snowstorm, we show up to do the essential work that keeps the nation running. We can’t wait another year, so it’s time for this Congress to pass goodwill and for our elected leaders to show up for us. We are at breaking point and need relief to stay home.
Stuart Appelbaum is President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU).
