Tenants at four Omaha-area apartment complexes voted to unionize this summer, and they all share a common landlord: Minnesota-based Elevate Living.
Now renters with a local landlord are preparing to follow their lead.
Though tenant unions have deep roots in cities like New York and Los Angeles, there’s little precedent in Nebraska for the organizations.
Driving the unionization trend in Omaha is a growing feeling among tenants that landlords are charging more in rent but doing less to address issues at their properties, said Seth Cope, a founding organizer with OTU.
Good for them.
The tenant union here in Kansas City is doing great work for local renters. I hope the same happens in Omaha, because we know damn well the government isn’t acting to protect local residents.