Join The Tenants Union

Why Join?

Becoming an SBTU member comes with many benefits. Those benefits include:

  • Access to our 100% volunteer-led weekly Tenant Help Desk on Thursdays

  • Entry into a network of renters who have experienced similar issues and can offer insights on winning strategies

  • The potential of making real friends; many reading this are getting sick from the “loneliness epidemic” and when you give a little you get a lot in the union – over time you feel less alone, more connected, and more whole as a person

  • Material solidarity – members show up for each other to defend against evictions, offer court support, use collective bargaining strategies (ie, sending postcards to a landlord to win back deposit money; mass calling or emailing a landlord to request he negotiate with his tenants about poor building conditions)

  • The ability to shape YOUR union; when you join, you become a co-owner of the union. You and fellow SBTU members shape the organization through participation, discussion, debate, experimentation.

  • Access to union group chats where fellow renters are willing to try figuring out how legal rights, landlord research, citywide law change campaigns, and collective negotiation tactics may benefit you and everyone together

Member benefits also come with a few expectations. We know there’s a good chance you’re just coming to ask for help and you don’t feel you have the time or energy to get involved in any way. Even if this is the case, we ask that you agree to the following:

  • Have a 5-10 minute “welcome to the union” call with one of our volunteers so we can get to know you a little, and explain how the union works

  • Read the emails and texts we send you after you sign up (you can opt out anytime)

  • If you can, pay some monthly dues – anywhere from $1-50. $1 per month is $12 per year, $5 per month is $60 per year. A latte in Santa Barbara (as of this writing) is about $7.

  • Come at least once to the monthly membership meetings on the last Thursday of the month, and eat some tamales (paid for by your dues money, and every other member’s dues money), meet fellow renters fighting to make housing a human right 

Why are you joining the union?

Click all that apply

What skills, talents, interests do you want to bring into your union?

Choose a monthly dues payment amount (or $0 if you're homeless or unemployed)

Item
Price
Qty
Subtotal
Houseless/Unemployed: Free for each month (r) 
Houseless/Unemployed: Free for each monthFree foreverQty 1
$0.00 Subtotal: $0.00
1    
$0.00
Very Low Income: $1.00 for each month (r) 
Very Low Income: $1.00 for each month$1.00 / monthQty 1
$1.00 Subtotal: $1.00
1    
$1.00
Low Income: $5.00 for each month (r) 
Low Income: $5.00 for each month$5.00 / monthQty 1
$5.00 Subtotal: $5.00
1    
$5.00
Average Income: $12.50 for each month (r) 
Average Income: $12.50 for each month$12.50 / monthQty 1
$12.50 Subtotal: $12.50
1    
$12.50
Mid-Income: $20.00 for each month (r) 
Mid-Income: $20.00 for each month$20.00 / monthQty 1
$20.00 Subtotal: $20.00
1    
$20.00
Above Average Income: $35.00 for each month (r) 
Above Average Income: $35.00 for each month$35.00 / monthQty 1
$35.00 Subtotal: $35.00
1    
$35.00
High Income: $50.00 for each month (r) 
High Income: $50.00 for each month$50.00 / monthQty 1
$50.00 Subtotal: $50.00
1    
$50.00
Custom amount (r) 
Choose your monthly membership dues amount$0.10 / monthQty 1
$
Subtotal: $0.10
1    
$0.10
Subtotal
$0.00
Fee
$0.00
Discount
$0.00
Total
$0.00
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