{"id":157,"date":"2026-06-25T16:14:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T16:14:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/?p=157"},"modified":"2026-06-25T16:14:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T16:14:39","slug":"why-some-unions-are-joining-the-call-to-freeze-the-rent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/?p=157","title":{"rendered":"Why Some Unions Are Joining the Call to \u201cFreeze the Rent\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n

I urge you guys to freeze the rent, because we want our students to\u00a0succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was the appeal Alyssa Wright made to the nine members of New York City\u2019s Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) earlier this month, a\u00a0little more than halfway through a\u00a0packed, four-hour hearing in the Bronx on whether to freeze rents in the city\u2019s some 1<\/span>\u00a0million rent-stabilized\u00a0apartments.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more The Socialist Electoral Movement Is on the Move in New York City<\/a><\/p>\n

Wright serves as a\u00a0campus supervisor for a\u00a0pilot program connecting City University of New York (CUNY) students with housing, healthcare and food resources. It\u2019s a\u00a0challenging role: Just that week, Wright said in her testimony, she had counseled five students facing eviction. Some 38<\/span>% of CUNY\u2019s 240<\/span>,000<\/span> students experience housing insecurity, a\u00a0condition that makes them twice as likely to withdraw or be placed on academic probation, according to based on a\u00a0representative sample of\u00a0students.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

That\u2019s part of why Wright and her colleagues turned out in force to the June 8<\/span>\u00a0hearing, held at CUNY\u2019s Hostos Community College, to make the case for a\u00a0rent freeze. Following a\u00a0series of raucous public meetings\u2009\u2014\u2009one of which saw a\u00a0landlord group hire unwitting actors for an anti-rent freeze counter-protest\u2009\u2014\u2009the RGB will vote Thursday night on whether landlords can raise rents in regulated apartments next\u00a0year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Both supporters and opponents anticipate a\u00a0first-of-its-kind two-year rent freeze, fulfilling a\u00a0key campaign pledge of Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The hearings also drew wider-than-usual participation from segments of the city\u2019s labor movement that backed his insurgent campaign\u2009\u2014\u2009including the Professional Staff Caucus (PSC), which represents CUNY faculty and\u00a0staff.<\/p>\n

Moving forward, PSC-CUNY First Vice President Jen Gaboury hopes to see more unions throw their weight behind the fight for an affordable city. \u200b\u201c<\/span>We have a\u00a0huge opportunity here in New York,\u201d she says. \u200b\u201c<\/span>We don\u2019t want to see labor squander\u00a0that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Much of the rent freeze debate has centered on the Bronx, which has some of the of rent-stabilized apartments in the city, much of it aging and in need of repair. But tenant advocates say that rising rents have largely been used to line landlords\u2019 pockets rather than make those repairs\u2009\u2014\u2009and that residents simply can\u2019t bear further\u00a0increases.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During the June hearing, one CUNY student struggling to catch up on rent described how her landlord, notorious for buying up rent-regulated apartments in the borough, has failed to remediate black mold. A\u00a0staff member tasked with referring students to suitable affordable housing in the Bronx said the city was \u200b\u201c<\/span>asking us to look for opportunities that are not there.\u201d And while no comparable data exists on the housing stability of CUNY faculty and staff, Hostos history professor Marcella Bencivenni said that wages hadn\u2019t kept pace with soaring housing costs, particularly for part-time instructors and\u00a0staff.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>This is a\u00a0city\u2019s crisis, and it\u2019s not just the CUNY students who are suffering,\u201d said Bencivenni, who herself lives in a\u00a0rent-regulated apartment, in her\u00a0testimony.<\/p>\n

A vote to freeze the rent is expected to prompt legal challenges from landlord groups, who contend it would throw the rent-stabilized market into financial turmoil. Under former Mayor Bill de Blasio, the RGB voted to freeze rents on one-year leases three times, but there has never been a\u00a0freeze on two-year leases. Six members of the current board were appointed by Mamdani, but their votes must be based on the economic conditions of the real estate\u00a0industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Over the course of former Mayor Eric Adams\u2019 tenure, stabilized by more than 12<\/span>%. In March, the RGB concluding that in 2024<\/span>, the most recent year for which data is available, income had increased faster than expenses in buildings with rent-regulated units, while the number of buildings in financial distress declined\u2009\u2014\u2009findings that had many tenant groups advocating for not just a\u00a0freeze but a\u00a0rent rollback. Notably, those cost calculations don\u2019t include mortgage payments, but a\u00a0recent report from the credit ratings agency Moody\u2019s concluded that even a\u00a0five-year rent freeze would put only about 6<\/span>% of landlords at risk of mortgage\u00a0default.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more Real Estate Merger Poised to Create Several Local Apartment Monopolies<\/a><\/p>\n

Still, freezing rents is just the start of addressing the city\u2019s housing crisis\u2009\u2014\u2009and conditioning the labor movement to flex its muscles in new ways, says the PSC-CUNY\u2019s\u00a0Gaboury.\u00a0<\/p>\n

PSC was an early backer of Mamdani\u2019s campaign, even as many of the city\u2019s major labor unions stayed out of last year\u2019s mayoral primary. Now, Gaboury wants to see labor seize the moment by partnering with the tenant organizations that helped fuel Mamdani\u2019s victory, while also advancing a\u00a0bold housing agenda that benefits union\u00a0members.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>We\u2019re trying to encourage others to be involved in this kind of work,\u201d she says. \u200b\u201c<\/span>That involves all unions learning to exercise our power in a\u00a0broader way.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the course of mobilizing members to attend rent freeze hearings, PSC also hosted political education on housing politics for members. Gaboury hopes that will serve as a\u00a0foundation for the union to incorporate housing and affordability demands into its future contract fights, under the \u200b\u201c<\/span>bargaining for the common good\u201d frameworks used to secure wins in cities like Chicago and Minneapolis. That could include campaigning for CUNY to build and maintain social housing, in conjunction with Mamdani\u2019s push to create 200<\/span>,000<\/span> new affordable homes\u00a0citywide.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Bhairavi Desai, president of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA), also sees a\u00a0critical opening for labor to throw its weight behind the fight for dignified\u00a0housing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Affordable rent should be a\u00a0central, essential demand of the labor movement as a\u00a0whole,\u201d says Desai, whose group backed the rent freeze campaign and has mobilized members to attend public\u00a0hearings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Housing is already interwoven into the NYTWA\u2019s organizing, Desai says. The group often holds meetings in apartment buildings in Queens and the Bronx where taxi drivers make up a\u00a0majority of residents. In addition to partnering with tenant unions to fight for improved conditions in those buildings, Desai sees opportunities to make use of some of the new tools and funding in Mamdani\u2019s housing plan to help community organizations\u2009\u2014\u2009including tenant associations\u2009\u2014\u2009acquire buildings from negligent\u00a0landlords.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the meantime, NYTWA member Ibrahima Gory, who campaigned heavily for Mamdani, hopes to see more union members join the fight for pro-tenant policies. Gory, himself a\u00a0rent-regulated tenant currently facing eviction, estimates that more than half of his income currently goes toward rent. He says it\u2019s critical for tenants to provide a\u00a0bulwark to the powerful landlord\u00a0lobby.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>They\u2019re so strong, they got money, whatever tools they can bring up to stop the mayor, they will do it,\u201d Gory says. \u200b\u201c<\/span>Our role right now is to be behind\u00a0him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more The NYU Strike Showed How to Reverse the Downward Spiral in Higher Ed<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cAffordable rent should be an essential demand of the labor movement as a whole,\u201d says New York Taxi Workers Alliance President Bhairavi Desai.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":156,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Some Unions Are Joining the Call to \u201cFreeze the Rent\u201d - Summit Relocation Timess<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/?p=157\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Some Unions Are Joining the Call to \u201cFreeze the Rent\u201d - Summit Relocation Timess\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cAffordable rent should be an essential demand of the labor movement as a whole,\u201d says New York Taxi Workers Alliance President Bhairavi Desai.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/?p=157\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Summit Relocation Timess\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-25T16:14:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/summitrelocationtimess.com\\\/?p=157#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/summitrelocationtimess.com\\\/?p=157\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/summitrelocationtimess.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/78261b7043eb436872da19e7c8eda597\"},\"headline\":\"Why Some Unions Are Joining the Call to \u201cFreeze the Rent\u201d\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-25T16:14:39+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/summitrelocationtimess.com\\\/?p=157\"},\"wordCount\":1159,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/summitrelocationtimess.com\\\/?p=157#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/summitrelocationtimess.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/687e78c6f9ea206635f4eda1d6ed8b56.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/summitrelocationtimess.com\\\/?p=157#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/summitrelocationtimess.com\\\/?p=157\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/summitrelocationtimess.com\\\/?p=157\",\"name\":\"Why Some Unions Are Joining the Call to \u201cFreeze the Rent\u201d - Summit Relocation Timess\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/summitrelocationtimess.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/summitrelocationtimess.com\\\/?p=157#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/summitrelocationtimess.com\\\/?p=157#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/summitrelocationtimess.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/687e78c6f9ea206635f4eda1d6ed8b56.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-25T16:14:39+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/summitrelocationtimess.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/78261b7043eb436872da19e7c8eda597\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/summitrelocationtimess.com\\\/?p=157#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/summitrelocationtimess.com\\\/?p=157\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/summitrelocationtimess.com\\\/?p=157#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/summitrelocationtimess.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/687e78c6f9ea206635f4eda1d6ed8b56.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/summitrelocationtimess.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/687e78c6f9ea206635f4eda1d6ed8b56.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/summitrelocationtimess.com\\\/?p=157#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/summitrelocationtimess.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Why Some Unions Are Joining the Call to \u201cFreeze the Rent\u201d\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/summitrelocationtimess.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/summitrelocationtimess.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Summit Relocation Timess\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/summitrelocationtimess.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/summitrelocationtimess.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/78261b7043eb436872da19e7c8eda597\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/summitrelocationtimess.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/summitrelocationtimess.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why Some Unions Are Joining the Call to \u201cFreeze the Rent\u201d - Summit Relocation Timess","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/?p=157","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why Some Unions Are Joining the Call to \u201cFreeze the Rent\u201d - Summit Relocation Timess","og_description":"\u201cAffordable rent should be an essential demand of the labor movement as a whole,\u201d says New York Taxi Workers Alliance President Bhairavi Desai.","og_url":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/?p=157","og_site_name":"Summit Relocation Timess","article_published_time":"2026-06-25T16:14:39+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/?p=157#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/?p=157"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/#\/schema\/person\/78261b7043eb436872da19e7c8eda597"},"headline":"Why Some Unions Are Joining the Call to \u201cFreeze the Rent\u201d","datePublished":"2026-06-25T16:14:39+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/?p=157"},"wordCount":1159,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/?p=157#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/687e78c6f9ea206635f4eda1d6ed8b56.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/?p=157#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/?p=157","url":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/?p=157","name":"Why Some Unions Are Joining the Call to \u201cFreeze the Rent\u201d - Summit Relocation Timess","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/?p=157#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/?p=157#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/687e78c6f9ea206635f4eda1d6ed8b56.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-25T16:14:39+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/#\/schema\/person\/78261b7043eb436872da19e7c8eda597"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/?p=157#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/?p=157"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/?p=157#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/687e78c6f9ea206635f4eda1d6ed8b56.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/687e78c6f9ea206635f4eda1d6ed8b56.jpg","width":1200,"height":630},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/?p=157#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Why Some Unions Are Joining the Call to \u201cFreeze the Rent\u201d"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/","name":"Summit Relocation Timess","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/#\/schema\/person\/78261b7043eb436872da19e7c8eda597","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com"],"url":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=157"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/summitrelocationtimess.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}