With Tuesday's passage of renter protection legislation in Montgomery County, "working families will gain a measure of housing stability not seen before," said Gino Renne, president of UFCW 1994, which represents nearly 8000 public employees in Montgomery County. "We have a long way to go and much to protect, but today we can celebrate some good progress." Local 1994 is a member of the Montgomery County Renters Alliance, which worked with Montgomery County Councilmember Marc Elrich, the bill's lead sponsor. The Alliance's Matt Losak called the bill -- unanimously approved by the County Council -- "a good first step (that) provides common sense and meaningful provisions to help protect renters." However, renters in Montgomery County still face the uncertainty of evictions without cause and increasing rents. "We look forward to working with the Council and the Executive to address these issues and others while strengthening the growing renter voice which has today been substantially strengthened," Losak added. Tickets for the Alliance’s December 8 “Building Community” celebration are still available; click here.