About ATUN

The Autonomous Tenants Union Network (ATUN) is a North American collaborative of tenant unions who have chosen to remain independent of nonprofits, big foundations, and government funding in order to build power that is responsive to and led by tenants. We are committed to base building, building leadership from the poorest, and resisting the power of real estate capital that destroys our homes and our communities.

We held our first online conference call in 2018 to provide space for mutual support among tenants unions across North America. The monthly calls attracted a growing number of tenant groups interested in combining grassroots organizing, advocacy, education, and direct action. With each call facilitated by a different autonomous tenants union, ATUN has hosted discussions on numerous topics that have helped strengthened the work of tenants unions across the continent. ATUN has been a connecting point for tenants to give practical support in tenant union campaigns across vast distances.

After holding online conventions in October 2020 and October 2021, we held an in-person convention in June 2022 in Los Angeles, bringing together 200 tenant organizers from 25 tenant unions across the United States. We’ve since also held a West Coast convention in June 2023, and a virtual convention in March 2024. We hold monthly “Kitchen Table” sessions online where organizers from different unions can learn from each other.