TEN
Tenant Education Network

Tenant Organizer

Based in Illinois

 

What is Tenant Education Network? Tenant Education Network (TEN) is a power building 501c3 founded in 2020. We organize in a unique context of laws and bureaucratic oversight that apply to a specific type of subsidized building. We’ve developed an organizing model that prioritizes supermajority tenant participation, and harnesses that context to win tenant-landlord agreements that closely resemble collective bargaining agreements. These agreements guarantee material improvements in tenants lives, can bring onsite services or other tenant benefits, and provide ongoing funding for the tenant union. TEN is supported by a full-time tenants rights attorney.

Salary Range: $50,000 – $57,000 depending on experience and skill
Benefits: Healthcare, Dental, Life Insurance; generous PTO and sick time policy including office closures for holidays
How to Apply: Send résumé and cover letter to: admin@tenanteducationnetwork.org.

TEN is seeking a disciplined, hard-working, communicative and detail oriented Tenant Organizer who shares our vision for a national, democratic tenant union representing thousands of members. They must be open to the uncertainty and unpredictability of a startup organization and able to take initiative to move our mission forward. They must bring a willingness to learn and execute our organizing model. They must be a team player and bring creativity to be able to adjust our model to new circumstances if needed.

The Tenant Organizer will be responsible for coordinating with the directors on building organizing strategy and executing organizing drives within the building TEN organizes and new building campaigns.. In a given week, this might include the following tasks:

• Identifying tenant leaders
• Canvassing, House visits and 1-1s
• Tenant turnout calls for meetings a
• Collecting documentation of unit issues, responding to retaliation, and planning direct actions

To effectively complete these tasks, this organizer will:

• Collaborate with their supervisor and fellow organizers on campaign strategy
• Learn applicable tenants law and how to apply them
• Learn which city, state, and federal agencies are relevant to their campaign, and how to get them to act in support of tenants

Requirements

• Demonstrated history of:
  • Minimum of 2 years of organizing experience doing some form of structure based organizing; union organizing or tenant organizing is often a good fit but not required
• Experience in running “raps” or scripts and writing them for member leaders
• Willingness to travel throughout Illinois on a weekly basis depending on organizing turf
• Willingness to work non traditional hours including nights and weekends, a total 40 hours/week
• Willingness to canvass in buildings and talk to tenants on a regular basis
• Must be honest with tenants, co-workers, donors etc.
• Fluency in Spanish is a plus
• Car & Valid Driver’s License
• Must live in Illinois

Requirements specific to our tenant organizing model

• Excellent data management and collection skills. Must be detail oriented. For example, this includes taking photos and videos in buildings and uploading them to an online database, appropriately titling, filing and organizing them
• Experience with excel spreadsheets, google drive, and other spreadsheet and data management tools. This is how we document issues and organize our documentation
• Comfortable using a smartphone to collect photos and videos and transferring them to an online database
• Comfortable writing emails to elected officials, government agencies, management companies etc.

Requirements specific to tenant organizing in general

• Excellent and empathetic listening skills
• Non-judgmental approach to tenants’ issues and circumstances
• Pro-tenant disposition in any tenant landlord dispute
• Responding in a timely fashion to tenants and staff who reach out about questions and issues
• Following through on commitments made to staff and tenants

Tenant Education Network is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender expression, medical condition, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state, or local law. We are committed to building a diverse and passionate team, and especially encourage women, people of color, LGBTQ folks, people with disabilities, and other interested people from historically marginalized communities to apply.