Political & Advocacy
The Ann Arbor Tenants Union (AATU) is a tenant organization founded in 1968. In 2004, the AATU ceased operations due to a lack of funding, however the organization was restarted in August of 2023. The original iteration of the AATU advocated for tenants' rights, provided a tenant counseling hotline, and directed actions to support legislation favorable to tenants at the city and state levels. The AATU was originally formed to lead a citywide rent strike starting in 1968. At the time, about 90% of rental units in Ann Arbor were not up to code. Similar to today, the quality of rental housing was low and the prices high. The rent strike, which lasted two years, involved tenants paying their rent into an offshore escrow account rather than to the landlord. Landlords would receive their rent from the account if they either brought the rental unit up to code or agreed to collective bargaining with the tenants union. Collective bargaining in this context would entail a negotiation between the landlord and a Tenants Union representative over the provisions in the leasing contracts for all tenants renting from that particular landlord. This differs from the normal process of the landlord negotiating individually with each tenant. The strategy was successful in some instances, but many landlords ultimately did not agree to collective bargaining. Nonetheless, the AATU was able to significantly improve the quality of rental units in Ann Arbor and challenge the power of landlords both at rental complexes and in the city and state government.
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