Berkeley Tenants Union

Unable to pay your rent or having trouble with your landlord? Unionize! Most Berkeley tenants now have a legally-enforceable right to unionize and collectively bargain with the landlord! Go to unionize.berkeleytenants.org to start organizing w BTU and form your official tenant union!

Berkeley Tenants Union meeting tomorrow! ⭐️

NEW 2026 Berkeley Tenants Convention information 🏡 berkeleytenants.org/convention

California tenants living outside Alameda and Contra Costa counties should call @TenantsTogether at 888-495-8020 for counseling (both for responding to evictions and for general assistance).

If a landlord threatens eviction for ANY reason, *immediately* email info@berkeleytenants.org w/ subject line "I AM BEING EVICTED" for help. B/c of very unfair legal deadlines for (even illegal) evictions, it's crucial to react ASAP. Do NOT wait to use our clinic for evictions.

Are you unable to pay rent or having trouble with your landlord? Our next FREE counseling clinic with tenant attorneys for East Bay tenants is Thursday, January 29 at 3-5pm! The sign-up deadline is this Sunday, January 25 (i.e. FOUR days beforehand). docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAI…

Join BTU’s Discord to stay connected, chat with fellow organizers, and keep up to date on important events! discord.gg/tSUf4j6F35

Join us for the first BTU meeting of the new year at 4:00 PM on January 25th at the Grassroots House, run by your newly elected steering committee! The meeting will be a potluck as well, all are welcome! 🥘🍪

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Meet your new Berkeley Tenants Union Steering Committee! 🏠 (1/2)

Mamdani: For too long, those fluent in the good grammar of civility have deployed decorum to mask agendas of cruelty

MA voters will decide whether to overturn a decades-old ban on rent control that will cap annual rent hikes. It’s people power versus the billionaire real estate interests. @homesforallmass wbur.org/news/2025/12/0…

one last thing: “Abundance” is being used in CA against just-cause eviction protections for tenants returning to wildfire-ravaged communities. no, not rent control. just *telling someone why they’re being evicted.* if that’s not mindless deregulation, I don’t know what is 🤷🏽‍♀️

"“[Although] this settlement [may halt] Greystar’s use of price fixing software… just $7 million for a landlord [of] 950,000 units… [does not] disincentivize other landlords from forming effective cartels in the future,” said [BTU Chair] Avery Arbaugh." dailycal.org/news/city/law-…

We stand with #PasadenaGatewayVillas and the Pasadena Tenants Association as they organize against their new landlord @Hines, who is leveraging junk fees, coercive lease changes, & retaliation to squeeze tenants out. We won't stand for these abusive tactics!

As of this morning 4,500 Starbucks workers are on strike. Don’t cross the picket line! No Starbucks and NO Starbucks gift cards!

“By embracing tactics from organized labor—including launching multi-building unions, waging prolonged rent strikes and demanding democratic negotiations — @TenantFed-affiliated tenant unions have won unprecedented concessions from landlords.” inthesetimes.com/article/tenant…

Habitability isn’t optional. New reporting shows how mold, leaks, poor ventilation, and extreme temperatures harm tenants’ health. When landlords ignore repairs, tenants pay with their bodies. We need strong standards and real enforcement. shelterforce.org/2025/11/18/why…

A big thank you to @OAKTenantsUnion & @DSAEastBay Co-Chair Juan C for moderating this evening’s BTU Steering Committee Candidates Forum!

Your support makes all the difference for renters facing eviction and high rents. We have always stood with tenants—through our hotline, organizing and fights for renter protections. But in 2026 we’re facing a 500K shortfall and we need your help. Donate: actionnetwork.org/fundraising/do…

"The Berkeley Tenants Union believes that upzoning increases property values & needs to be matched with guarantees for 'increased permanently affordable housing requirements.' [BTU] said current 'middle housing' prioritizes developers’ financial interests" dailycal.org/news/city/city…