Housing Justice For All, a statewide coalition of tenants, civil legal service providers, small landlords, elected officials, and others – announced that various leading unions called on Albany to enact Good Cause, legislation that would provide basic protections for tenants in unregulated units.
These unions include:
- 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East
- American Federation of Musicians, Local 802
- Association of Legal Aid Attorneys, UAW Local 2325
- Committee of Interns and Residents of SEIU
- Communication Workers of America, District One
- District Council 37
- Legal Services Staff Association, UAW Local 2320
- Local One I.A.T.S.E. NYC Stagehands PAC
- Hotel and Gaming Trades Council
- Professional Staff Congress
- New York New Jersey Regional Joint Board, Workers United/SEIU
- New York State Nurses Association
- New York Taxi Workers Alliance
- United Auto Workers Region 9A
The unions, in a letter to Governor Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, and Speaker Heastie, wrote:
Good Cause eviction, along with other interventions like rental assistance and the expansion of low income housing, is necessary for communities to recover from the CoViD-19 pandemic. That is why it is so popular: a recent poll demonstrated that 64% of voters and 77% of Democrats in New York support Good Cause eviction protections for all renters. We enthusiastically support this bill sponsored by Senator Salazar and Assemblywoman Hunter to give tenants a fair process in housing court and urge you to do the same.
“New York’s leading unions recognize that Good Cause would not only benefit their members, but the communities these unions serve,” said Cea Weaver, Campaign Coordinator with Housing Justice For All. “Good Cause has wide ranging support across New York State, including from small landlords, and Albany must enact this critical legislation this session without further delay.”
In February, Housing Justice For All, in conjunction with others, released a new report detailing how Black New Yorkers continue to face inequities when securing and maintaining permanent housing.
The main findings of the report include:
- Black tenants in NYC are twice as likely as white tenants to have zero dollars in savings.
- Black households in New York are three times as likely to face eviction as white households.
- Across New York, evictions filed at higher rates in counties with high shares of Black renters.
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The Legal Aid Society exists for one simple yet powerful reason: to ensure that New Yorkers are not denied their right to equal justice because of poverty. For over 140 years, we have protected, defended, and advocated for those who have struggled in silence for far too long. Every day, in every borough, The Legal Aid Society changes the lives of our clients and helps improve our communities.
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