For the last two decades, the Weehawken Tenants Association championed the causes of tenants’ rights in the township. Led by the dedication of Pat Pierce and Helen Meissner, the group has defended hundreds of tenants in Weehawken, handling a variety of problems.
“Whenever anyone had a problem, they could rely on Pat,” said Bernice Diskin, a long-time member of the organization. “When many buildings went either condo (condominium) or co-op (cooperative) in the ’80s, nearly 10,000 people lost their homes in North Hudson, with landlords telling residents to buy or get out. Pat organized a rally with about 300 people, and the township passed an ordinance that protected senior citizens, the disabled, and low-income residents.”
Pierce and Meissner kept the group organized for a while, but then disaster struck nearly two years ago. Pierce died, and soon after, Meissner became ill.
“It was a big blow to our organization,” Diskin said. “The association kind of collapsed after that.”
However, thanks to the efforts of people like Diskin, Raul Gonzalez and Paul Sansone, the Weehawken Tenants Association is experiencing a rebirth of sorts. The three leaders have taken the reins of the organization and are hopeful that the group can become as strong and as effective as it once was.
“Once Pat passed away, we needed to step up and re-establish ourselves,” Gonzalez said. “Pat and Helen were very strong women. They did everything. When they left, it was like parachuting into the wilderness with no compass. We had to familiarize ourselves with tenant laws. Bernice facilitates the meetings. I work case by case and do a lot of street work.”
“It’s been very hard to try to pull everything together,” Diskin said. “Raul has been carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. He’s been trying to get everyone to come to the meetings.”
The Weehawken Tenants Association’s next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 13 at the Senior Nutritional Center, located at 201 Highwood Ave., beginning at 7:30 p.m. All tenants are invited to attend.
“People don’t realize that they have rights as a tenant,” Gonzalez said. “Landlords have to understand that they can’t flim-flam their tenants. With a strong tenants’ association, there’s strength in numbers.”
Gonzalez said that it is important that the Weehawken Township Council supports the tenants’ association.
“The mayor (Richard Turner) attends the meetings and if an issue becomes too big for us, the mayor can mediate for us and gives us a swift response,” Gonzalez said.
Recently, the WTA helped a group of senior citizens who said they were being harassed by their landlord and threatened with eviction.
“They came to us looking for help,” Diskin said. “And we were able to help them.”
“We get a myriad of problems, from broken sinks, busted windows, lack of heat,” Gonzalez said. “We try to take away their stress and give them an idea of their rights.”
Although many of Weehawken’s multi-unit dwellings are now either condo or co-op, Diskin said that there are many residents who still pay rent in the township.
“There still are buildings that are strictly renters,” Diskin said. “Another important factor is that rents have gone through the roof. Rents are so high now and they are steadily increasing. In my opinion, landlords get away with raising rents more than the 4 percent allowed by law. It becomes a problem when rents are hiked significantly.”
“Renting has become like a small business now,” Gonzalez said. “People don’t take the time to step back and realize that they are a tenant. They just pay the rents and forget about it.”
Diskin said that the association has been boosted since Sansone has become a member of the township’s Rent Leveling Board.
“He really knows how to network and fight for our rights,” Diskin said.
Diskin is really hopeful that there will be a strong turnout for this week’s meeting, one of four regularly scheduled get-togethers each year.
“It can be a fact-finding evening for tenants,” Diskin said. “The more that participate, the stronger the Tenants Association can be.”
For more information about the Weehawken Tenants Association, write to P.O. Box 3107, Weehawken, NJ, 07086 or call (201) 319-0932.