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Today I learned “tenant unions” are a thing, and what to make of this story is unclear.

According to the Chicago Tribune, “A tenant union representing 150 residents across four buildings in Rogers Park has approved a rent strike to begin Saturday after a new owner announced a spike of several hundred dollars in monthly fees.”

Most people reading this know that property owners are obligated to keep the apartment on par with the bare minimum of habitability standards. If they can't do that, tenants should take it up with their local housing authorities. This is not rocket science. This also makes one wonder, is there more going on here?

“This fight is happening in a moment of deep crisis,” said Juan Reyes, an organizer with the All-Chicago Tenant Alliance, at a Sunday news conference. “Families are facing the threat of eviction and deportation at the same time.”

Several tenants have reported their rent is under $1,000. Depending on the unit, monthly costs are between $700 and $900, they said Sunday. But they say they are now being asked to pay an average 60% increase, anywhere between $500 and $800.

In an emailed statement to the Tribune, Khan called the union’s claims “misleading.”

I would be upset too if my rent increased by $800, but according to the owner, there is much more going on here than the union would like you to believe.

“What we offered was a substantially reduced rent for residents who agreed to provide valid identification and sign written leases,” he said. “For those who chose to remain month-to-month without a lease, the rent rate is higher due to the additional risk and administrative burden of informal tenancy.”

So if what the owner is claiming is true, which I would not be surprised if it is, these tenants have no one to blame but themselves. Everyone knows going month to month is more expensive than signing the lease. If they don't want to commit to living there, then why are they demanding the right to live there? If they want rent protection, all they have to do is sign the lease. But considering these people don't want to provide proof of their identity, and don't want to commit to staying there longer than a month-to-month basis, and considering the union claims “families are facing the threat of eviction and deportation at the same time,” well, I think we just solved the riddle, didn't we?

The entitlement here is extraordinary but unsurprising, considering how much the left panders to these sorts of tantrums. The tenants have no one to blame but themselves, as they refuse to sign the lease, a bare minimum to protect themselves from aggressive rent increases. Why these people are taken seriously, to the point they get national media attention, is beyond reason, but precisely why they feel entitled to such childish behavior. And the worst part is that none of this is surprising.

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