Labor Unions Fight for Affordable Housing

“With US house prices and rents rising in recent years, and high interest rates and inflation taking their toll, housing affordability has become a major issue at the bargaining table for US labor unions,” writes Steven Greenhouse in an article in The Guardian. Unions argue that workers are being forced to move farther away from their jobs to afford housing, making their commutes longer and more expensive.

Now, unions are using their power to support ballot measures and other policies that support affordable housing and prevent evictions, as well as contributing to member housing assistance. “In Las Vegas, the Culinary Union, which represents 60,000 hotel and restaurant workers, has increased its down payment assistance to $25,000 for union members buying their first homes.” In Los Angeles, unions helped pass a ‘mansion tax’ that will fund affordable housing efforts. And “In the Twin Cities, labor leaders are threatening an innovative, multi-union strike next month with housing affordability a leading issue, along with higher pay and improving schools.”