At Academy Green Park Wednesday, Kingston housing advocates held a launch event for the Mid-Hudson Valley’s first regional tenants union. A coalition of elected officials, tenants unions from buildings such as Stony Run and Opus, along with local activists, spoke in favor of tenant protections and affordable housing.

June Nemon, the lead organizer of the Hudson Valley Tenants Union (HVTU), said that the union was born from various struggles around tenant protections in the area and a response to the “class war that has been pushed by the landlord class.” Nemon listed previous victories, such as rent reduction with the Stony Run Tenants Union and the city’s adoption of rent stabilization.

“Today, those associations are coming together to form and launch this public Hudson Valley Tenants Union, which we hope will elevate all of the individual fights of each union, and ultimately hope to build more tenant unions all across the Hudson Valley,” Nemon said.

Teresa Green, an advocate from the Stony Run Tenants Union, said that after being notified by the city of a rent freeze, the building was sold for a third time, leading to what she called “rent gouging.” She said this led her and other tenants to organize for improved conditions and rent reduction.

Another Stony Run resident, Raquel Gonzalez, said that her rent was between $2,300 to $2,350 a month for the past three years, but was reduced to $1,605 after a state lawsuit. However, she said that her rent is being calculated based on her income from a nursing job five years ago, not her current income. Additionally, she said that when she moved to the complex, the ceiling fell into her living room, the building was dirty and the pool was never opened.

Currently, Green said the Stony Run Tenants Union is compiling demands to address “poor maintenance concerns, lack of cleanliness of the property, poor lighting, filthy and cracked windows, trash and rodent issues.”

“It is awesome to see us all here today, making the decision to band together and join the Hudson Valley Tenants Union to become a force to be reckoned with,” Green said. “Because united we are stronger to bargain, divided we are weak and we beg.”

Green and Gonzales’ concerns were echoed by residents of other buildings, such as Steph De John, who is part of the Opus Tenants Association. The New Jersey-based company owns the Dutch Village and Colonial Mansion buildings locally. De John said that her neighbors experienced electrical fires, mold and broken doors. Additionally, the building had a major gas leak and lacked cooking gas and hot water from November to December. After contacting city officials, she said the landlord turned off the heat during January. She also accused Mayor Steve Noble of not adequately addressing tenant concerns.

“When our neighbors contacted Steve Noble and said, ‘Hey, this is happening in your city, can you help us?’ He suggested we move to Stony Run which he was actively deregulating,” De John said. This inspired Opus tenants to form a union, which worked to assist tenants on solving concerns. “But these are all band aids for a bigger issue that is in our city, in our community, and in the U.S. at large. That's where the Hudson Valley Tenants Union comes in.”

The HVTU has received support from Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha (D-Esopus), who could not attend the launch event but had a member of her office present, Common Council Present were Kingston Common Council Majority Leader Michele Hirsch (D-Ward 9), Hudson Valley Justice Center attorney Ben Surface, Mid-Hudson Valley Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) Housing Co-Chair Andrew Hiller and Alderman Michael Tierney (D-Ward 2).

During her speech, Hirsch drew upon her own experiences growing up in rent-controlled apartments and work to approve rent control under the state Emergency Tenant Protection Act and opt into the state Good Cause Eviction law in Kingston.

“Tenants are the heart of our community. You contribute to our neighborhoods, and you support local businesses. Yes, you even pay taxes in your rent,” Hirsch said. “Yet many of you still face amazing challenges with getting the heat put on, the holes in the ceiling fixed, or even the snow shoveled outside of your buildings. This is why it's crucial for you to organize and amplify your voices together and advocate effectively.”

Nemon said the HVTU would host its first general assembly on June 13 at Old Dutch Church at noon, where the union will elect leadership, adopt its constitution and set priorities for the year.