Rent Strikes

Despite the long and colorful history of tenant-landlord relations in U.S. society, scholars have written surprisingly little on tenants in the United States. Moreover, little reliable research has been conducted on rent strikes.

The history of rent strikes in the United States can be viewed as a tale of how the underdogs in society can sometimes use the democratic process [Page 600]to improve their position. Tenants have successfully organized for both short-term (e.g., avoiding eviction and rent hikes) and long-term (e.g., rent control) gains.

They have also had their share of defeats. The history of rent strikes in New York City can be traced back to April 1, 1904. Over the course of the century, both issues and actors changed as the struggle between tenants and landlords unfolded. As New Yorkers attempted to protect their places of residence or acquire livable conditions, several distinctive trends emerged. Early struggles frequently evolved from concerted efforts by renters to even gain a seat at the bargaining table. This period of the tenants’ movement has its parallels in early labor-management disputes. Having negotiated this first obstacle, the tenants’ movement could employ a wider spectrum of tactics, but, as Ronald Lawson points out, it also encountered new barriers, ranging from grassroots militancy to bureaucratizing institutionalization. As the focus of tenants’ groups became more clearly defined, the organization of support systems changed from radical political factions to special interest groups. The demographics of the leadership of the tenants’ movement also varied from one time period to the next. In the initial phases, Jews and Italian Americans provided the direction for the cause; later, African and Hispanic Americans assumed leadership positions. The one perpetual presence throughout has been that of women.

The 1904 experience of Jewish immigrants residing on New York's Lower East side is a benchmark for unraveling the historical web of rent strikes in the United States. These tenants organized to accomplish several major objectives, including warding off evictions, gaining “rent rollbacks,” and attaining contractual protection in the form of leases. In so doing, they blazed a trail. However, in 1907, the tide seemed to turn, as a stronger opposition composed of organized landlords and an unsympathetic media defeated the renters’ movement. This failed rent strike rendered many of the participants homeless.

The Great Depression witnessed a revival of rent strikes. The rent strike of 1932 to 1933 brought in new actors and new methods. Chief among them were communists and African Americans. To counter the upsurge in the tenants’ movement, both landlords and government representatives resorted to strong-arm tactics, previously reserved for labor strikes. However, as the New Deal brought legitimacy to rent strike advocacy groups, organizers were able to couple direct action with litigation and lobbying. New gains made during this era included the creation and enforcement of rent controls. New Deal legislation also broadened the scope of housing policies. In the early 1970s, renters began demanding (a) controls on rents, (b) adequate living conditions, (c) eviction protections, and (d) political participation. The relative success or failure of this more recent movement has been a matter of considerable debate.

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