Kade Gajdusek, Contributing Photographer

A Saint. Luke’s Senior Housing on Goffe Street has become the eighth tenants union in New Haven, after a supermajority of its tenants signed a bill to unionize. 

On Monday morning, six representatives from the group participated in a press conference and finalized a document codifying themselves as the newest chapter of the Connecticut Tenants Union at 120 Goffe St. They were joined by leaders of the state-wide Connecticut Tenants Union and representatives from the New Haven Fair Rent Commission Office. 

Through the motion, fourteen of the 17 Saint Luke’s tenants aim to mend the stifled dialogue between themselves and the property’s managers: Demarco Management Corporation and St. Luke’s Development Corp. The tenants are hoping to finally bring management to the negotiating table and address overlooked and persisting safety problems in the property. 

“We’re here because we want unity,” Linda Talley, a Saint Luke’s tenant, said. “We want the board to come sit down with us so that we can be in an agreement to get things that we want done in our building, for our safety, for our security — we’re tired of broken promises.” 

Her words were framed by the affirmative nods of fellow tenants and leadership holding signs that read “Respect Seniors” and “Help Us Stay Safe.” Others in the Senior Housing community echoed the requests for dignity especially as it pertained to elders. 

Another tenant, Robert James, explained that the management’s negligence had persisted for years and needed to be stopped. Even the monthly meetings held by administration to take suggestions often proved unsuccessful and futile, he said. 

“I’m not worried about anything with the union,” James said, “as a matter of fact, I’m all for it … I’m just here as big support for myself and everyone else that lives in St Luke’s apartment, senior citizen apartment.”

James explained that for a while the building has lacked necessary safety features like proper lighting, security cameras and doors that properly open and close. Additionally, he said he has often found visitors unknown to either himself or others perusing the property’s public spaces. In these instances, he did not know whether the person would be dangerous to himself or the community. 

Another tenant, Linda Talley, emphasized the building’s dilapidated condition and the lack of reliable renovation services. In one instance, she requested that her battered and cracked bathroom floor be fixed. When she came back, she found them tearing up the living room’s wood — something she’d never asked to have done. 

“This union came together quickly because there was already a lot of community in the building,” the vice president of CT Tenants Union, Luke Melonakos-Harrison, said. “What we’re looking for is a response from the board of St Luke’s Development Corporation and from DeMarco management that they will agree to sit down with the elected representatives of this union to negotiate.” 

Melonakos-Harrison and CT Tenants Union President Hannah Srajer also noted that unionizing could benefit both sides. By centralizing and clarifying the voice of many into the voice of one, negotiations can be a lot more focused and expedited, they said. 

The Saint Luke’s property pushes the number of CT Tenants Union chapters to 18. Their mission has also benefited from government legislation passed last December which increases the number of apartments eligible for tenant unions by reducing the number of required building units from ten to five. 

At the end of the event, the New Haven Fair Rent Commission discussed the rights afforded to the new Saint Luke’s chapter, reiterating the city’s support for tenant unionization and landlord accountability. 

The emergence of the new chapter was only made possible after Alder Frank E. Douglass, Jr. connected residents of the Saint Luke’s housing with CT Tenants Union, entreating them to join the movement.

“I’ve been a union person all my life,” Douglass Jr. said. “I worked for the Union for the railroad … and I was community vice president for 19 years. So unions work. You want to get things done? Unionize.”

Taking a seat as Ward Two’s alder, he became acutely aware of the complaints made by the Saint Luke’s Housing Community concerning electricity and the elevator. As he got more involved, he began to notice the same problems continuously popping up. When the Connecticut Tenants Union reached out to ask if he knew of any buildings that might benefit from unionizing, he immediately made the connection. 

The battle doesn’t end there for him. In his ward alone he hopes properties like the St. Martin’s Townhouses on Goffe Street and the Seabury Housing Co-Op on Elm Street, which have had similar managerial issues, might join the state-wide union in the near future. 

After the press conference, a few tenants began brainstorming the first amendments they would like to see followed through on by the manager. Near the end, there was some anxiety about the risk of administrative or fellow tenant retaliation. However, the group resoundingly concluded that as long as they held strong in numbers, they could overpower any threat. In addition, the state-wide CT Tenants Union and the Fair Rent Commission Office reiterated their backing of the new union through any tumult that might come their way. 

In the upcoming days, the new union will have its first meeting and elect a leader to serve on the statewide body of the CT Tenants Unions. 

New Haven’s first tenants union was established in November 2022.