Lily Belle Poling, Contributing Photographer

Minutes before a protest in front of Ocean Management’s office was set to begin, the mega-landlord offered tenants a deal.

Ocean owner Shmulik Aizenberg promised to resume negotiations with tenants unions from three of his properties if they agreed not to protest.

The protesters, who subsequently relocated to the neighboring Farnam Realty Group — which has also not responded to a tenants union’s demands — were offered a similar deal from Farnam another 20 minutes later.

The union took both deals.

“Because this is a relationship, and because we negotiate in good faith, we’re not having the action,” Hannah Srajer, president of Connecticut Tenants Union, said following the first agreement of the night.

Before CT Tenants Union abandoned their initial protest, Ocean promised to bargain in “good faith” and cease all no-fault evictions during negotiations. The landlord put its commitment in writing, which union leadership read aloud.  

The planned rally had been organized to protest Ocean’s attempted evictions and refusal to bargain with tenant unions at Quinnipiac Avenue, Lenox Street and State Street. Ocean had previously agreed to enter negotiations with these unions earlier in the year before reneging its agreement. 

Ocean Management and Farnam Realty Group did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Even though they agreed not to protest against Ocean, CT Tenants Union made the most of their gathering by taking their protest to the nearby Farnam Realty Group. The company has a receivership with 1455 State St. — one of four properties managed by Ocean that have tenants unions. Starting in August, Farnam assumed at least partial responsibility for the property. 

Lauren Palulis, the vice president of the union at State Street, explained that at least since the receivership began, neither Ocean nor Farnam have responded to tenants’ complaints about mold, leaks, high utility costs or security concerns.

“We are asking that Farnam, in their position as our receiver, come to the table and collectively bargain with us,” she said to the crowd. 

A few minutes later, they agreed to do just that.

Like Ocean, Farnam agreed to meet the union from 1455 State St. next week so long as CT Tenants Union stopped their protest. 

Srajer, president of CT Tenants Union, said she trusts Ocean to negotiate in good faith based on the conversation she had with the owner that led to the agreement to call off the protest. However, she said the unions know what to do, based on Wednesday’s outcome, if Ocean goes back on its promises.

According to Garrett Kimball, a union member from Ocean’s Blake Street property, laundry services have been unavailable in his apartment complex for two months, and he feels that he has nobody to call to get the issue fixed. He said this is just one of many bare necessities he doesn’t have access to at his apartment complex.

The Blake Street Tenants Union had successfully negotiated a collective lease agreement with Ocean earlier this year, making it the first union to secure a contract with Ocean. However, tenants still feel that their concerns are often not acknowledged or addressed.

“I want to believe [Ocean will negotiate in good faith this time], but it’s gonna take legislation and help from the city,” Kimball said. “This is a problem bigger than all of us, and this is a huge issue we’re taking on. It’s gonna take rules and regulations.” 

The Blake Street Tenants Union was the first tenants union in Connecticut to enter collective bargaining negotiations with their landlord, Ocean Management.