NEW HAVEN, Conn. — After years of trying to get their shared management company to make peace with renters and offer them a fair lease, New Haven tenant unions got a big step closer to that goal Wednesday.
What started out as a protest ended with celebration as the Ocean Management company and Farnam Realty Group agreed to sit down with tenants in New Haven to begin negotiating a fair agreement.
Luke Melonakos-Harrison, vice president of the Connecticut Tenants Union, said, “The owner of Ocean Management reached out to the leaders of our unions earlier today and agreed in writing to commit to a collective bargaining process with all three unions that do not yet have an agreement with the landlord.”
Ocean Management leadership also rescinded two no-fault evictions that were in progress at the time allowing those families to stay in their apartment.
A court recently ordered Farnam Realty Group to step in and collect rent while Ocean Management gets out of debt over the apartment building at 1455 State St.
Union officials also asked the realty group to engage in negotiations, and they agreed.
Following the news of Ocean Management and Farnam Realty Group’s agreement, tenants turned from protest to celebration, ending the rally.
“We ended the whole thing altogether and sent everyone home. It's really important that we actually show and demonstrate not just to ocean management, but to all the landlords in the state that we play by the rules,” said Hannah Srajer, president of the Connecticut Tenants Union.
The progress comes after union leaders have been demanding for change and a fair lease from Ocean Management for two years after renters expressed poor living conditions and were faced with the possibility of being evicted even if they paid rent on time.
Union leaders said this progress wouldn’t be possible without the city of New Haven who passed an ordinance allowing tenants to form a union to keep landlords accountable two years ago this week.
“After two years of hard work in organizing and putting pressure shows the culmination of that ordinance and also just the power that tenants have when they get together,” Melonakos-Harrison said.
The meeting is set to take place next week.
Jake Garcia is a multimedia journalist for FOX61 News. He can be reached at jgarcia@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
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