A group of South Shore residents have formed a tenant union that includes the majority of people who lived in a collection of apartment buildings formerly managed by CKO Real Estate. The unionization comes after months of organizing by tenants who have complained about unlivable conditions in the buildings.
The announcement also came nearly two weeks after residents celebrated a multi-tenant deal securing $50,000 in total relocation assistance as they move out of two of the buildings at 6715-23 and 6952-58 S. Paxton Ave. A Cook County Circuit Court judge ordered the buildings to be vacated last month. The deal includes a move-out date extension for mid/late June and a $2,500 payout per household, according to housing advocacy group Southside Together.
“This win didn’t come by accident, it came because the tenants organized a union,” Southside Together wrote in a press release about the $50,000. During a press conference announcing the union’s launch, one union member spoke on the importance of unionization in obtaining fair treatment of all residents.
“My building does not have the issues that other tenants are naming,” said union member Shaunda Philips, who lives in a Bronzeville building formerly managed by CKO. “It’s not right that other tenants are not being treated the same across the board and everyone deserves to live in good conditions. The City of Chicago is supposed to hold landlords accountable and ensure that tenants are treated fairly.”
The CKO Tenants Union, which officially formed on June 2, seeks corrective action for all tenants of the properties that were managed by CKO after the court agreed to payments for relocation fees and extended the move out date for tenants of the Paxton buildings.
Over 150 tenants from 30 properties formerly overseen by CKO, which shuttered its operations earlier this year, are members of the union. The group has a list of demands that it wants the city of Chicago to meet for the remaining tenants in its union portfolio who haven’t yet received restitution from living in what they describe as subpar conditions.
Those demands include:
1. Provide the union a portfolio-wide plan that includes:
a) Payouts to tenants that equal 12 months of rent ($12,000)
b) Immediate repairs with a plan for oversight / monitoring
c) Relocation support as needed (e.g., hotels and vouchers during repairs and/or relocation to new units as needed)
2. Provide information on the properties’ owners, including names, contacts, and any other relevant information
3. Facilitate the provision of new, collectively bargained leases that list information to pay rent directly to the owners
4. Suspend rent while tenants’ living conditions are improved
5. Explore the possibility of the city taking over the portfolio, using available City funds, affiliated programs, sister agencies, or other public/private partners to get the investors out of the way and to stabilize the tenants in their homes
After an April meeting with city leaders and investors who own some of the buildings, The TRiiBE reported that the City of Chicago filed a lawsuit against the owners of the building at 6952-58 S. Paxton Ave, stating that the “dangerous and hazardous conditions pose an imminent threat of irreparable harm and injury to the health, safety and welfare of the public and occupants.”
According to Kristen Cabanban, the director of news affairs with the Chicago Department of Law, there were six active cases in court as of April, including both Paxton buildings. The list included 7655 S. Coles Ave., 7031-41 S. Merrill Ave., 2139-2141 E. 67th St., 6701-6715 S. Merrill Ave. and 3548-3556 W. 15th St.
In an email to The TRiiBE, Cabanban stated, “The City is actively enforcing municipal code violations in Housing Court with nine lawsuits filed against the former CKO properties, now under new ownership.”
Tenants have been vocal about insecure buildings, pest infestations, lack of heat and electricity, as well as caving ceilings. During the press conference on June 2, union member Aaliyah Travis spoke on her experience of living without heat or hot water and a lack of security in the building at 6849 S. Clyde Ave.
“Imagine being in my shoes, waking up with no hot water, no heat and just scared for your safety in general,” Travis said during the press conference. “We’re calling on you, Mayor Johnson, to help us, the tenants of South Shore, and the way we are asking is by meeting our demands.”
In an emailed statement to The TRiiBE, the Mayor’s office said, “The Mayor’s Office has been in communication with this tenant union and will continue to work to address their concerns. The Mayor is planning to meet with this organization to hear from them directly and work to a suitable resolution. Mayor Johnson believes that all Chicagoans deserve safe and dignified housing and will continue to work towards that mission.”
This story has been corrected to say that the court, not the city, authorized a receiver to provide relocation funds to tenants in the various properties.
