What will this resolution do?
This resolution will create three wings in the Housing Justice Commission (HJC). One wing will develop a training program that will help organizers not only learn tenant organizing, but to build long-term tenant unions. The second wing will inquire and strategize around integrating knowledge of rights into everyday organizing tactics and strategy. The third wing will be focused around developing political education that is useful for all tenant organizers in every locale. If approved in the 2021 National Convention, this resolution will lead to the creation of new autonomous tenant unions in multiple cities and towns across the US. Importantly, these unions will have their own internal democratic mechanisms and will not be DSA front groups. The objective for any seasoned organizer is to build themselves out of a controlling position, and our commitment to internal democracy and belief in tenant self-organization requires us to do this as well.
Why is this resolution needed?
This resolution is needed because tenant organizing requires long-term structures—autonomous tenant unions—to exist within. Our moment poses a window of opportunity to grow autonomous, fighting tenant unions that are not stuck within the usual politics of the liberal non-profit industrial complex. This resolution expands upon the three previous housing resolution from the last National Convention in 2019: Resolutions #40, #57 & #64.
How is supporting autonomous tenant unions strategic?
The autonomous tenant movement is strategic because it advances a tenant organizing and politics free from the centrist-controlled Democratic Party, and is also free from the Non-Profit Industrial Complex and its capitalist fundraisers. Autonomous tenant unions are focused on base building—organizing tenants at the building and neighborhood level—as opposed to a service or policy model. Ultimately, supporting the development of autonomous unions is a strategy of base building, which offers the potential for building power within everyday contradictions faced by working class people.
What is the relationship of this resolution with the Autonomous Tenant Union Network (ATUN)?
Some of the authors were members of tenant unions that founded the Autonomous Tenant Union Network. Much like labor unions, which ought to be democratically controlled by workers, we see ATUN’s independence and internal democracy as central. This proposal does not alter ATUN’s internal democracy in any way. In terms of coordination, we presented this resolution at an ATUN delegate council and received mostly positive feedback. We tried to incorporate this feedback into the resolution. We are waiting to see if the delegate council will vote to support this resolution. If the delegate council does have a vote on supporting this resolution, and the outcome of this vote is largely negative, we can always withdraw the resolution. Due to timing, we are collecting signatures before the ATUN vote occurs. We do not anticipate this outcome, though, as this resolution maintains clear separation between ATUN and the DSA.
What relationship does this resolution imply regarding the DSA and the Autonomous Tenant Union Network (ATUN)?
This resolution does not solidify any relationship between these two organizations. Our view is that ATUN is a historically important formation, similar to the CIO of the 1930s. This is why we feel it is important to support ATUN’s growth by building new unions that can apply for membership. Note that the ATUN delegate council (delegates from each affiliated tenant union) have control over admittance into ATUN. Even if some of our unions are not admitted, we will have contributed to this historically-important endeavor by building long-term class struggle structures in multiple cities and towns.
Why is this resolution good for the DSA? Does this resolution liquidate DSA into ATUN, another org?
This resolution does not liquidate DSA into ATUN. This resolution will generate more DSA capacity as DSA housing organizers will work together to either build out a local tenant union, or to support a local tenant union’s growth. This requires coordination and organization, and DSA chapters can build intermediary structures to accomplish this through their respective housing committees. That said, we can’t accomplish our goals by bringing all of our housing organizing into the DSA. Effective long-term tenant organizing requires an external facing component. It is difficult to ask organizing tenants to all join the DSA, but it is much easier to get organizing tenants to become members of a tenant union. We would never require organizing workers to join DSA in addition to forming a union, and housing is no different.
What experience do writers and supporters have with tenant organizing?
Five of the resolution authors founded autonomous tenant unions in the Bay Area (TANC) and in Boston (GBTU). Others are current members of already existing tenant unions. The resolution was also written and edited with other tenant union members elsewhere. We have lots of experience with building new tenant unions and the resolution is based on this experience.
How will this resolution advance socialism?
The US left is has a dearth of working class mass organizations. This was not always the case. The proletarian organizations that have historically been the strength of the socialist movement have been systematically beaten back to the point of near non-existence. The goal of today’s socialist movement is to reorganize as a class and to build fighting formations to wield the working class power necessary to transcend capitalism. Fortunately, the tenant movement is proving to be a promising and strategic sight of struggle dedicated to the difficult base building work that also centers on a specific contradiction in working class people’s everyday lives. This resolution gives us the tools and resources to intervene in and play a significant roll in this emergent site of struggle. Further, housing is a critical site of struggle because of the relationship between rent, real estate capital, and wealth accumulation. In fact, since 2010, the national share of income attributed to rental income has more than doubled. We need working class organization on the housing terrain that can fight back.
What relationship does this resolution have to the national DSA Housing Justice Commission?
Some members of HJC have individually signed onto this resolution. We plan to discuss this in the HJC as we move forward, too.