A group of labor unions representing more than 270,000 Massachusetts residents backed the Keep Massachusetts Home campaign, supporting a local rent control measure that could appear on the ballot in November 2026.

If approved by voters, the initiative would cap yearly rent increases at 5% or the annual increase in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower.

Supporters of the initiative say it’s necessary due to the cost of housing in the state, which is among the highest in the country.

“Our members know firsthand the way that housing costs have gotten out of control in Massachusetts,” said Fernando Lemus, president of the 10,000-member The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1445 (UFCW 1445). “Every wage increase gets quickly eaten up by rising rent costs, preventing all of us from getting ahead and reaching full financial stability. Building new housing is crucial, but we’re so far behind it will take years to bring down costs on existing housing stock. We need rent control so our members can plan ahead and we can make an informed decision on every contract, to know how wage increases will stack up. ”

Opponents of the measure, meanwhile, argue rent control discourages the construction of new housing. “Our state’s focus needs to be on reducing barriers to housing creation so we can develop more homes across all price points, whether it be for young families looking to purchase their first home, or retirees looking to downsize in the community they have known for decades,” said Greg Vasil, CEO of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board. “While we respect the attorney general’s decision on the legality of this question, the real estate industry will fight the proposed initiative every step of the way.”

The last time rent control was on the ballot in 1994, Bay Staters voted against the measure. A rent control measure proposed in 2023 by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu also ultimately failed to reach the ballot.