Natasha Khazzam, Contributing Photographer

When a pipe burst in Alexander Kolokotronis’ GRD ’23 New Haven apartment, the tenants union leader looked to his neighbors for support.

The Emerson Tenants Union registered with the City of New Haven’s Fair Rent Commission at City Hall on Friday morning, becoming the city’s fifth tenants union and the first to form against a landlord other than mega-landlord Ocean Management. Union leaders Kolokotronis and neighbor James Blau began efforts to unionize earlier this month after the pipe-burst caused significant water damage and made Kolokotronis’ apartment unlivable. Blau, who lives directly beneath Kolokotronis, experienced similar repercussions from the leak, leading both tenants to temporarily move out of their homes.

After being met with little responsiveness from their landlord, a pastor at the next-door Trinity Lutheran Church, the pair shared their concerns with neighbors, who had similar negative experiences with the landlord. Within 27 hours, Kolokotronis and Blau gathered support to unionize from the required majority of renters — 13 of the 18 occupied units signed on.

“It’s not just us as a group of tenants that are standing up and trying to have a voice in our building,” Kolokotronis said while describing the motivations to unionize. By recognizing the union, he explained, “the city is behind the collective power.”

Unlike the city’s four previously existing tenants unions — which all formed against Ocean Management — this is the first that has formed against a small landlord. According to Connecticut business records, the Emerson Apartments were purchased by Trinity Lutheran Church in 2000, which then developed Emerson Apartments LLC, a separate entity that manages the property.

On Friday, attorneys James Giulietti and Jeremiah Morykto issued a statement on behalf of the Emerson Apartments, which noted that the units at the apartment complex were licensed by the city’s Livable City Initiative and had been inspected by the New Haven Fire Marshal in 2023. According to the statement, all requirements of these two authorities were “complied with and met.” The attorneys also wrote that Emerson Apartments LLC has “had a good relationship with all its tenants” since its formation in 2000.

Raymond Sola, the landlord of the Emerson Apartments, did not reply to multiple requests for comment by the News.

In their request for collective bargaining, the tenants union submitted a letter that listed four topics that landlord-tenant negotiations will seek to address, including timely building maintenance and a multi-year rent schedule, which tenants hope will prevent year-to-year rent increases.

“We have come to collectively see and realize that our eyes, ears, and voice are essential to proactive upkeep that ensures we reside in a clean, safe, and thriving building environment,” reads the letter, which was obtained by the News.

Also included is a request to establish a regular meeting between tenants and the management or landlord of the Emerson Apartments to discuss updates and issues regarding the building. Additionally, the letter includes a clause that advocates for the right of first refusal and right to a first bid — both of which serve as “insurance measures” against tenant displacement in case another landlord purchases the building, according to Kolokotronis.

If the landlord chooses to sell the property, the right of first refusal would give tenants of the Emerson Apartments the option to match or refuse an offer on the complex before the landlord can sell it. Similarly, the right of first bid would grant the tenant union the ability to issue the first bid on the sale of the property if union members wish to do so.

“For us, this is about being proactive,” Kolokotronis said. “This is a way to guard against corporate displacement. It’s a way to guard against corporate landlords becoming further entrenched in the state.”

Kolokotronis, who has prior experience organizing tenants unions, said that recent events at the Emerson Apartments led him to “connect the dots” with his past housing experiences. While the flooding triggered the unionization, according to Kolokotronis, other incidents of landlord unresponsiveness encouraged residents at the Emerson Apartments to come together in support of the union.

Fellow tenant Kenneth Naito MUS ’24 explained that he supported efforts to form a tenants union, especially after experiencing similar living concerns, including a cracked ceiling and mold, that were met with “no serious action” by the landlord.

Wildaliz Bermudez, the Director of the Fair Rent Commission who also officiated the union’s registration process on Friday, explained that the FRC will serve as an intermediary between the Emerson Tenant Union and their landlord moving forward.

In addition to granting the Emerson Tenant Union official recognition, registering with the FRC will protect members of the tenant union against potential retaliation from their landlord. Lee Osorio, a field representative for the FRC, explained that existing conditions at the Emerson Apartments reflect a broader pattern of unsafe living conditions throughout the city.

“I would hope that this shows other apartment buildings that this is not difficult to do,” Blau said. “You just need the majority of apartments to sign a letter and you can get certified as a tenants union — it’d be great if that spread.” 

The Emerson Apartments are located at 284 Orange St.