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Bozeman Tenants United

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Bozeman Tenants United is a tenant's union based in Bozeman, Montana. According to the Tenant Union Federation, which Bozeman Tenants United cofounded, the union has over 200 members and 130 pay union dues. Its founders are organizers who were involved in Bozeman United for Racial Justice.

Bozeman Tenants United
FoundedOctober, 2022 (October, 2022)
HeadquartersBozeman, Montana
Location
  • United States
Key peoplePatrick Finegan and Joey Morrison (co-founders)
AffiliationsTenant Union Federation
Websitebzntenantsunited.org

History

Advocacy

Union members pressured Bozeman City Council to ban short-term rentals to increase housing supply in June 2023. The city passed strict regulations on short-term rentals that are not owner-occupied but did not pass a full ban.

In June 2024, Bozeman Tenants United and Deputy Mayor Joey Morrison launched a campaign for Bozeman's city council to establish a tenant's right to counsel (TRTC) and allocate $670,000 to the program. Organizers argue tenants being unable to afford lawyers leads to higher eviction rates and more homelessness, describing TRTC as "getting to the root cause rather than applying band-aids."

Electoral politics

On November 7, 2023, Bozeman Tenants United cofounder Joey Morrison won the Bozeman mayoral race. Due to the city's electoral system, Morrison will serve as deputy mayor for two years, beginning in 2024, and then become mayor for the rest of his term. Morrison ran on fully banning short-term rentals and establishing community land trusts as a means of addressing housing shortages.

Unionization

The union supported a successful union drive at Bridger Peaks, a senior community living complex in Bozeman. In November 2024, Bozeman Tenants United organized Bridger Heights, with 58% of units joining the union. The group laid out a list of demands, including a $5000 payout due to tenants allegedly living with mold and other unresolved maintenance issues, rent negotiations, and a say in the result of a sale of the property. Union members threatened a rent strike if demands were not met by their landlords and Capital 11. The union also demanded that the Federal Housing Finance Agency institute a 3% federal cap on rent increases on federally backed loans.

Founding of Tenant Union Federation

Main article: Kansas City Tenants Union

In August 2024, KC Tenants, Connecticut Tenant Union, Louisville Tenant Union, Bozeman Tenants United, and Not Me We founded the Tenant Union Federation. The federation describes its goals as: "use the collective power of its locals to negotiate better living conditions for renters, slow the commodification of housing, help establish alternatives to the predominant market-based solution to housing, guarantee housing as a public utility, and create economic and political power for its renters." The federation's first campaign hopes to cap rent on housing managed by the federal government.

See also

References

  1. "Tenant Union Federation". tenantfederation.org. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  2. Shelly, Nora (2022-11-12). "Bozeman activists forming tenants union". Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  3. News, Susan Shain, High Country (2023-11-23). "Has Montana really solved its housing crisis?". Montana Free Press. Retrieved 2024-10-03. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. Strother, Ryan (2023-06-08). "Tenants group calls on Bozeman to ban many short-term rentals". Montana Free Press. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  5. Standal, Matt (2023-10-18). "Bozeman votes to ban some short-term rentals, 'grandfathers' others". Montana Free Press. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  6. "Bozeman group launches campaign to create fund for tenants right to counsel at city level". KBZK News. 2024-06-10. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  7. Carroll, Bryanna (2024-06-17). "Bozeman tenant union works to establish right to counsel". KECI. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  8. ^ "Terry Cunningham set to be sworn in as Bozeman's next mayor, Joey Morrison to become deputy mayor". KBZK News. 2024-01-09. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  9. Journalist, Alex McCollum NonStop Local Multimedia (2023-07-06). "Meet the Candidates: who's running for Bozeman mayor?". NonStop Local Montana. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  10. Carroll, Bryanna (2023-11-02). "Bridger Peaks residents accuse property management company of negligence, demand change". KECI. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  11. Carroll, Bryanna (2024-11-01). "Bridger Heights residents speak out against unsafe, unsanitary living conditions". KECI. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  12. Standal, Matt (2024-11-01). "Bozeman tenants unionize, threaten rent 'strike' over alleged issues". Montana Free Press. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  13. Szpaller, Keila (November 18, 2024). "New tenants union in Bozeman to maintain pressure on property owner". Daily Montanan.
  14. Hood, Nydja (2024-08-08). "KC Tenants join movement to organize nationally, fight against rising rent rates". KCTV. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  15. Perez, Zach (2024-08-08). "Building on success in Kansas City, KC Tenants helps form first-ever national tenant federation". KCUR. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  16. "About". Tenant Union Federation website. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
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