Tacoma Tenant unions made huge strides across several campaigns this month, culminating with the launch of the Wright Park Tenant Union last Saturday! Read on for a launch recap, an update on McIlvaine negotiations, and a reminder for our upcoming citywide tenant union meeting.

Wright Park Tenant Union Launch

Thanks to our powerful leaders for all the organizing and speeches, and to our guest speakers Kiss’Shonna Curtis from Tacoma For All, Tacoma City Council Member Latasha Palmer, and State Senator Yasmin Trudeau.

Check out the full video on our YouTube channel, and stay tuned for more ways to support Wright Park tenants as they work to bring the landlord to the table. 

McIlvaine Negotiations Begin

Unfortunately, landlords Tim Solimano and Zach Laster-Hazzard ghosted… again. Instead, they sent their attorney and property manager to speak with tenants, and the union secured a few preliminary wins.

While the McIlvaine Tenant Union members are excited about having their first negotiation session under their belt, they know this is just the beginning. Landlords have finally addressed the union directly, but they have still failed to show face, and still haven’t budged on many of the most important demands of the union.

Citywide Tenant Unions Discussion

This weekend, join Tacoma Tenants leaders for our second conversation about building a citywide tenant union! The first 90 minutes is open to leaders only and will focus on the culture, vision and structures we are working to create. The second half is a training on union negotiation strategies and is open to members.

• 11:00am-12:30pm – Citywide union leadership discussion
• 12:30pm-2:00pm – Training on negotiations

RSVP for location.

Support the Movement

Last Saturday’s Slumlord Art Show was a powerful, funny event. What’s not so funny is landlords Rob and Candy Hoover spending a bunch of money on art galleries, yachts, and attorneys (who sent us a threatening letter just two days earlier). Imagine how much easier it would be if they just negotiated with their tenants.  Check out the full video on our Youtube Channel, or the great videos and pics below. And be sure to go check out the art, which will stay up at Common Good Tacoma (621 Tacoma Ave S) for the next several weeks.

The Hoovers are still refusing to negotiate… But we’re not giving up!

As Rachel shared, we’ve been documenting countless issues across the Hoover buildings, and we’re taking pics and receipts to the city soon. We’re gonna need YOUR HELP pressuring the Hoovers and the city soon. Keep on the lookout for action opportunities!

Support the Movement

Tacoma Tenants are spending this summer organizing, training, escalating and launching new unions. We’re excited to share a few updates this week, and we’ve got some major news coming soon!

We’re happy to report that Tacoma has nine tenant union leaders attending UNION SCHOOL this summer! Union School is an intensive tenant union training, presented by the Tenant Union Federation (TUF). Every tenant union in Tacoma has at least one representative participating in these weekly Zoom trainings, along with over 800 participants worldwide. If you’re a tenant union member interested in learning about Union School, reach out to your Organizing Committee, join our newsletter, or give us a holler at organizing@tacomatenants.

McIlvaine tenants are escalating!

This coordinated economic action demonstrates the tenants’ collective power and calls on the landlords to meet the union’s most simple demand: come to the negotiating table.

Citywide tenant union discussion – this weekend!

The time has come! This Saturday, we’ll be having our first citywide tenant union formation discussion, followed by a multi-union organizing training.

11:00am – 12:30pm: Active tenant union leaders are invited for a discussion around the formation of a citywide tenant union in Tacoma.

12:30pm – 2:00pm: ALL tenant union members, leaders, organizers, and supporters are welcome to join for a deep-dive training on organizing conversations.

RSVP at the link above, or email organizing@tacomatenants.org for more information.

New supermajority tenant union coming this summer

Tacoma’s next supermajority tenant union is coming very soon! The new union is bringing together three historic properties in a prominent Tacoma location. Be on the lookout for opportunities to mobilize.

Get involved today!

This week marks a year of our tenant union organizing work and just over six months since our first union launch. We’re celebrating with an overhauled website and social media presence, an update on our work to date, and major escalations with our unions and organizing drives.

Read on for details. And, if you can, help us celebrate by becoming a monthly donor, and encouraging your family, friends and neighbors to join our newsletter.

New Website is Live

We’re excited to share that tacomatenants.org has a new look! The new site has been months in the making, and we’re grateful to Felt Left Co. for their creativity, generosity, and thoughtful partnership.

The new site makes it easier to connect with tenant union organizers, follow campaigns throughout the city, and access organizing and legal resources through our intake form. Whether you’re facing an issue with your landlord, interested in joining a tenant union, or just looking for ways to get involved, our website is for you!

Please take a look around the new site — then share the link with your neighbors, colleagues, family, and friends. We hope this new website makes it easier for people to find each other and organize for the housing justice we all deserve.

Not sure where to start? Check out some key pages with the buttons below:

WE’RE A YEAR IN!

LOTS TO SHOW AND MORE TO GO!

Our organizing formally started on July 1st last year, when our partner organization Tacoma For All brought on Devin Rydel Kelly to direct tenant organizing, amidst a nationwide wave of tenant union victories.

But it was New York Apartments that sparked the movement

The supermajority NYATU launched in December of 2025. Since then, we’ve organized unions covering the portfolio of their wealthy, California-based landlords Rob Hoover, Candace Hoover and Ann Limbourne. The New York, Newcastle and North Slope Tenant Unions represent over 70 percent of the landlord’s residents, controlling over $50,000 in monthly rent. They are passionate, serious, and ready to escalate.

Just like the Hoover Portfolio, they are powerful leaders with a deep commitment to fighting for their members and Tacoma’s working class.

We now have close to 125 union card signers and active or emerging campaigns in 12 buildings. Many member leaders are running organizing committees, knocking doors, and escalating. Two leaders are now on our (recently renamed) Tacoma Tenant Organizing and Outreach (TTOO) Board of Directors, and one is on the Tacoma For All Steering Committee. Many more will surely develop soon. There is power in the union.

We have big plans for the coming year! We’ve already beat back illegal rent increases, blocked evictions, and forced landlords to provide long overdue maintenance, but we still have to win big around our members’ core demands, which is the most important thing we can do for them and the broader movement.  We’re also launching another supermajority tenant union soon, and we’ll host a founding convention for a citywide tenant union in late 2026 or early 2027.

Tacoma Tenants will win if our majority working class knows and acts on their power. So please, support the movement today. Get your family, friends and neighbors on our newsletter list. Fill out our intake form if you are serious about organizing your building. And, if you’re able, please make a monthly contribution to the movement. There is power in the union!