Published using Google Docs
Constitution of the Philadelphia Tenants Union 2026
Updated automatically every 5 minutes

Constitution of the Philadelphia Tenants Union 2026

ARTICLE 1: Name and Purpose 

1.1.         The name of the organization is the Philadelphia Tenants Union (PTU).

1.2.         The PTU is a union dedicated to building organized tenant power and raising tenant political consciousness as a part of the struggle of the entire working class for freedom and dignity.

ARTICLE 2: Membership 

2.1.         Tenants who live in Philadelphia are eligible for membership.

2.2.         Members commit to fight for tenant power, defend fellow members of the PTU through collective action and organizing, and make their best effort to organize a tenants association or local affiliate with fellow tenants of the same landlord.

2.3.         Members must pay at least $1 a month in dues.

2.4.         Members must attend at least one PTU event every three months to remain in good standing. PTU events include: actions, trainings, General Assembly meetings, building or block level tenants association meetings, meetings of a PTU local affiliate, cultural events or film screenings, etc.

2.5.        PTU members have the right to the resources and collective power of the Philadelphia Tenants Union. This includes but is not limited to organizing assistance, trainings, and research help.

2.6.        PTU members benefit from the solidarity of fellow tenants in the PTU. Concretely, this means a right to benefit from PTU members’ support, power, and presence at direct actions to fight landlords or win new tenants’ rights.

2.7.         Allies and comrades of PTU such as homeowners in Philadelphia and friends from outside organizations who support our mission are welcome at Conventions and General Assembly meetings, but only PTU members can vote on formal decisions.

2.8.         No landlords, agents of landlords, or homeowners will be admitted as members of the Philadelphia Tenants Union.

2.9.         Members who commit serious breaches of PTU values risk sanction, including expulsion, as decided by a vote of the members in good standing. Serious breach of union values includes, but is not limited to: taking bribes or corruption; using PTU resources for personal gain; engaging in espionage against the group; working with landlords against tenants; practicing harassment, discrimination or bullying based on, though not limited to, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious affiliation, and political affiliation; undermining in a serious way the trust of Philadelphia tenants in the union.

ARTICLE 3: Structure 

A.        The General Assembly

3.1.         The PTU is led by its membership. The general body of PTU members that leads the organization is the PTU General Assembly. Any PTU member in good standing is qualified for and expected to participate in the General Assembly.

3.2.         “Quorum” for a General Assembly, the minimum number of members that must be present to make a decision legitimate, is set at one-third of PTU members in good standing. Members can vote in person or by other means such as email or proxy voting. The PTU will provide the means for all members to participate.

3.3.         The constitution can be changed by the General Assembly at the Convention by vote of 2/3 majority of quorum.

3.4        The General Administrator and Financial Administrator will be elected at the annual Convention, except in cases when a replacement needs to be elected between Conventions.

B.         Decisionmaking

3.5.         Decisions not involving an amendment to the Constitution will be made by unanimous consent when possible.

3.6.        In matters where unanimous consent cannot be reached, decisions will be made by a simple majority vote of the members in good standing via an online ballot.

C.        Elected Positions

3.7.        There are two elected positions within PTU, that of General Administrator and Financial Administrator. The General Administrator and Financial Administrator do not have any special decisionmaking power within PTU outside of the scope of their duties as outlined herein.

3.8        The General Administrator will maintain an up-to-date list of members in good standing. The General Administrator is also responsible for conducting online votes when necessary. The General Administrator is further responsible for overseeing the maintenance of PTU’s e-mail account and hotline messages, as well as managing PTU’s login info and passwords for services other than financial accounts.

3.9.        The Financial Administrator will maintain PTU’s finances, issue payments and reimbursements for PTU-related expenses, provide quarterly reports on the union’s finances, and safeguard the union’s financial resources. Payments and reimbursements will be at the Financial Administrator’s discretion except where otherwise decided by PTU membership.

4.0        The General Administrator and/or Financial Administrator can be removed or replaced at any time according to a vote of the members in good standing.

ARTICLE 4: Safer Spaces Policy 

Philadelphia Tenants Union is committed to uniting all tenants. As a diverse group of tenant organizers, we recognize that oppression has many layers, and to achieve a space that is safe for all, we must protect each other and defend our intersectional dignity. As such, we strive to keep our common places free from any oppressive action, behavior, and language. Because we want to learn from and educate each other in these spaces, we will each be responsible for addressing these issues in ourselves and others.

This policy is not about censorship, but rather opening a dialog in a respectful way that can result in all members feeling safe and free to fully participate in our liberatory spaces. Meeting facilitators, organizing leads, and members should be conscious of this policy and address issues proactively as they arise. We are our first line of defense.

These oppressive actions and words include but are not limited to:

Note: If you are entering this space and have privilege (if you present as white, cis-gendered, male, financially stable, neurotypical, mobile, etc.) please be aware of how your presence and behavior may impact others and be open to unlearning oppressive behaviors you may not recognize.

If any member feels this policy is being/has been violated, the following steps should be taken:

  1. Reference the policy to the whole group. For example, you can say: “We have a policy that all members are mutually responsible for each other’s safety, and I feel this policy has been violated by [comments made or action taken]. Please keep our policy in mind moving forward.”
  2. If a member feels like this policy is being violated and is uncomfortable bringing this up personally, they are encouraged to seek an ally of their choosing to advocate for them.
  3. If the policy is still being violated, the issue should be brought up to the person in violation directly and/or any member you trust whom you would like to act as an advocate on your behalf so that an effective plan of action can be instituted.
  4. If you have no allies please email info@phillytenantsunion.org and we will find someone outside of PTU who can assist in mediating a resolution through a neutral, third party mediator.

Space is defined as any physical or online meetings, events (including trainings, celebrations, social gatherings, etc.), internet platforms (including listservs, discord, instagram, etc.) that are organized by PTU members (including committees or subcommittees).

By agreeing to join PTU or our spaces, you agree to respect and abide by the Safer Spaces Policy.

You also understand that this is a living document and that changes/amendments to the Safer Spaces Policy may occur in the future and that such changes will be democratically and collectively decided.

If someone has continuously or egregiously violated this Safer Spaces Policy, anyone can bring their expulsion to a vote of PTU membership.  

This policy is based on the IWW’s Safer Spaces Policy: https://www.iww.org/resources/safer-spaces-policy/#

ARTICLE 5: Establishing Provisional PTU Locals

Requirements & Process for Becoming a Local

  1. At least three  PTU members in good standing* are present in a group of tenants. The group of tenants can be sharing the same landlord and/or living in the same area (such as a neighborhood or block).
  2. The tenants submit a list of the PTU members, along with the name of their landlord or area they live in, to the PTU’s General Administrator.
  3. The General Administrator confirms the list of dues-paying members.
  4. PTU membership decides via either unanimous consent or vote to formally affiliate the local with PTU.
  5. PTU or a local can decide at any time via unanimous consent or vote to disaffiliate from each other.

* In the Constitution, a “PTU member in good standing” is defined as someone who is current on dues and has attended at least one PTU event every three months (can be a training, meeting of a local, action, general assembly, Convention, etc.)

Locals Will Have Benefits of:

Responsibilities of a Local

  1. Locals will select a representative to the rest of the PTU every 3 months. The representative commits to attending general assemblies and other public PTU events that are not specific to the local. The representative must attend at least one of these during the 3-month term for the overall local to remain in good standing.
  1. The local can choose to send someone else to a meeting/event in the representative's place if they cannot attend.
  2. The representative does not need to be a different person each term, though it is encouraged.
  1. Tenants of a local must follow the PTU’s Safer Spaces Policy
  2. Locals will aim to sign up a majority of its tenants as PTU members (in good standing)
  3. Locals will commit to growing their numbers and organizing their own campaign(s)
  4. Locals will commit to sending its tenants to PTU organizing trainings and building their own self-sustaining leadership/structures

ARTICLE 6: Policy Around Resignations

Resignations from PTU and/or committees/working groups shall be submitted in writing; at best, 30 days in advance of the last day the person serves in that position or at least, two-week’s notice.  This will allow our organization to make decisions about the reasons for the resignation, a transition plan, election(s) to fill the position(s), etc.

Once someone resigns from PTU membership, other committees/working groups or rank and file membership, that person will no longer have access to our internal communications, i.e., email listserv, Facebook pages, other social media, files, financial records, literature, educational materials, office supplies, keys, computers and related equipment, passwords, or any other PTU property.