Atlantic Mills Tenants Union is the first commercial tenants union in Rhode Island

"Together, we are building the better worlds we want to live in," said artist Jenine Bressner. "Here, we are working to preserve and celebrate the community of Atlantic Mills."

“I’m proud to announce that a supermajority of Atlantic Mills tenants has voted to form Rhode Island’s first-ever commercial tenants union,” said Cindy Miranda, board chair of the Olneyville Neighborhood Association [ONA] and chapter vice president of the newly formed Atlantic Mills Tenants Union [AMTU]. “As a chapter of the Rhode Island Tenants Union, we demand stability and dignity in our homes and community spaces. We call on the current owner, the Howard & Eleanor Brynes Trust - and any future buyers - to come to the negotiating table and collectively bargain with our union. We are demanding a 99-year lease with immediate rent stabilization and an eviction moratorium that begins today and extends until a fair agreement is reached.”

The announcement was made at Riverside Park on Aleppo Street in Olneyville, with Atlantic Mills as a backdrop. Despite the cold day, over 125 people showed up for the announcement. After a short speaking program, a celebratory march through Olneyville ended in Olneyville Square.

Here’s the video, followed by a transcript of the speaking program edited for clarity. The video of the march is near the end of this piece.

Will James, artist: It’s great to see that everyone could come out on pretty short notice. It’s surprising how easy it is to organize your community when it is already organized. We’re here today because the tenants of the Atlantic Mills have some exciting announcements. But before I hand this over to Cindy, I want to say that the lore of this building is so exciting. I was so happy to get in here and learn not just that the people here have protected the culture - the culture that makes it so easy for the landlord to fill the building - but that they have repaired the stairs, prevented millions of dollars in flood damage, and spread internet to everyone in the building.

When we talk today about the things that we are asking for, this isn’t just a change in the relationship between our landlord and us. It’s already different. People have already been stepping up to protect this building and its culture. And if millions of dollars are going to be exchanged soon, this is the perfect time for that labor to be recognized.

Cindy Miranda: I am the board chair of the Olneyville Neighborhood Association, or ONA for short. I’m also a proud resident of Olneyville and one of the many people who work in this incredible building, Atlantic Mills. Standing here today is deeply personal for me. Atlantic Mills isn’t just a building; it’s the heart of Olneyille. It holds a unique place in our City’s history. Over the years, this building has been repurposed into what it is today - a vibrant hub for artists, organizations, makers, small businesses, and even a church. For me, Atlantic Mills represents more than what makes Olneyville truly special. It is the only place where I’ve been able to thrive professionally and personally without being judged for my background. It’s where I’ve collaborated with neighbors to create change and witness firsthand the resilience, creativity, and diversity that define this neighborhood.

But this is not just my story. It’s Blanca’s story. A seamstress from Guatemala whose family has faced flooding in Olneyville. It’s the story of Iglesia Puerta de Esperanza, the church that brings hope to so many here. It’s Tito’s story, a small business owner who sells musical instruments and teaches music classes.

Atlantic Mills is a lifeline for all of us, and that lifeline is now at risk. The potential sale of this building threatens everything - [including] the dozens of businesses, organizations, and artists who call this place a second home [and] face the possibility of skyrocketing rent, prices, and evictions. This isn’t just a crisis for Atlantic Mills; it’s a domino effect for Olneyville.

We are at a crossroads. Gentrification, systemic challenges, and the housing crisis threaten the unique identity that makes Olneyville a unique, vibrant, and inclusive community. I’ve lived in Olneyville long enough to see these challenges unfold. Gentrification is real. It’s our daily reality. It feels impossible to exist as a human, let alone thrive in this neighborhood. We can’t even get safe crosswalks in Olneyville Square, let alone the investments we need. My neighbors and I are tired of being ignored by decision-makers who claim to know what’s best for us without ever walking a block in our shoes.

Except - we’re not tired of fighting back, so we organized.

I’m proud to announce that a supermajority of Atlantic Mill tenants has voted to form Rhode Island’s first-ever commercials Tenants union. As a chapter of the Rhode Island Tenants Union, we demand stability and dignity in our homes and community spaces. We call on the current owner, the Howard & Eleanor Brynes Trust - and any future buyers - to come to the negotiating table and collectively bargain with our union. We are demanding a 99-year lease with immediate rent stabilization and an eviction moratorium that begins today and extends until a fair agreement is reached.

This is about preserving a historic space that fuels creativity and supports livelihoods. Providence has called itself the Creative Capitol, but what does that mean if we lose the very spaces and people that fuel this creativity? Atlantic Mills is one of the last places in our City where artists, small business owners, and organizations can afford to work and thrive. This is more than just a building. It’s about justice, fairness, and our right to exist and thrive in the neighborhood we call home.

We need your solidarity. Our victory will mean collective bargaining, rent stability, and the preservation of this space as a lifeline for all who rely on it. It’ll be a message to the rest of Providence: We are united. We will fight for what is right, and together, we can achieve lasting change.

So many livelihoods are at stake here. What happens to Atlantic Mills will shape the future of Olneyville.

But we can’t do this alone. Stand with us and raise your voices to call on the buyer to collectively bargain with our union. As chapter vice president of this union, I’m deeply grateful for the trust in me to represent my neighbors and amplify our voices. This role protects what we’ve built and ensures a thriving future for all. It’s our moment to act. Stand with us and fight with us. Let’s continue Atlantic Mills’ story as one filled with resilience, unity, and justice for generations to come. We are grateful for your solidarity.

Big Nazo

Will James: Jenine is an artist, teacher, community member, and a dear friend. People like Jenine are so important. When we started this, all the people who had been at the Mill for decades were the first to jump on and be super excited.

Jenine Bressner: I’m an artist and a teacher and have been a tenant of the Atlantic Mills for 20 years. Together, we choose to be here, not in New York or Boston, but in Providence, Olneyville, a community of immigrants and artists. This is my favorite place in the world because of its high concentration of incredible people in a beautiful place.

We enjoy this tremendous inventory of industrial architecture because this is where the Industrial Revolution began in the United States. You can still find numerous working factories in Rhode Island or other evidence of our storied history on these rivers. After textile and jewelry production peaked, many of these spaces became available for other uses. But shout out to Wolf Myro next door - 80,000 square feet of wholesale jewelry parts.

In the nineties, while Buddy focused on uncovering the rivers, the illumination on Down City let other parts of Providence remain in shadow. At the time, artists and small business owners enjoyed a wealth of spaces all over the City with affordable rents. That accessibility fostered the growth of independent cultures, contributing to the efflorescence of the Creative Capital. Historically influential independent cultures grew and flourished in mill buildings like these, many of which are now gone. The freedom from financial pressure we have enjoyed in these kinds of spaces enabled thousands of people to experience these new kinds of culture. However, as Providence touts itself as a champion of the arts, artists and small businesses are repeatedly displaced due to rising rents and a lack of available spaces.

Who would we be without the Atlantic Mills? Did your grandparents work in these factories? Did you grow up going to the flea market? Is this where you come for neighborhood news? Do you know someone who has a studio here? Who would Shepard Fairey be? Who would Kara Walker be? Who would I be without the time and space to experiment and grow into my fuller self to make and give more thoughtful and meaningful cultural contributions? Can you imagine Providence without Big Nazo? I cannot, and I don’t want to try. As an artist working with textiles and jewelry in these spaces, I feel like a modern link in a historical chain. As people standing up for ourselves and each other, we are all modern links in a historical chain that continues.

From Ursula K. Le Guin: “Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings.” Resistance and change often begin in art. Together, we are building the better worlds we want to live in. Here, we are working to preserve and celebrate the community of Atlantic Mills. As a community, we bear a responsibility to each other, exemplified in supporting, protecting, and advocating for each other. Look around us right now. Our fortunes are inseparably linked. Thank you for making this community with us. We have nothing more important than each other.

Providence City Council President Rachel Miller: I should be surprised that on this glorious, very cold day, there are so many people here, but I am not because Atlantic Mills is the heart and soul of not just this neighborhood but also affordability in the City and small businesses in the City. There is no other space like this in Providence, and it is so desperately needed.

I am equal parts frustrated and so proud to be here because here’s the thing: Over the years of fighting around displacement, for increased affordability, and to make sure that people who have lived in Providence for generations have a place to flourish and to stay - in all of the years of doing that, we don’t win anything alone.

It is incredible that the tenants of Atlantic Mills have come together to form the first commercial tenants union in the state of Rhode Island. I am proud to be here, to stand here with it.

It’s been several decades since Atlantic Mills has held this space. I see so many familiar faces that I’ve known for decades. I also got to talk to and meet a couple of very new tenants. This space grows and thrives with mom-and-pop businesses, artists, and community-based organizations. It is the kind of place we need more of, and we need to fight together to ensure that happens. I want you to know the Providence City Council stands with you. I will fight for affordability throughout our City. I’ll fight against gentrification and displacement throughout our City.

Jesse Martin - SEIU: I’m the Executive Vice President of 1199 and also the president of the SEIU State Council, which represents over 8,000 Rhode Islanders in the service jobs, healthcare, the public sector, and many other service industries. We stand united with our partners here at Atlantic Mills Tenants Union because when we build power, it’s about confronting those who have influence, money, and control over our world. Those people do not concede that power without a demand.

I have the privilege of representing workers who, through difference, create more power than their employers. What do I mean by that? When our union members walk down the street, they’re treated differently based on how they are seen in the world, which is wrong. When we build power by uniting across those differences, even here at Atlantic Mills, we build something new, something fresh, and something that can take power away from those big wigs in New York and landowners and landlords that not only do we pay rent to, but who have a responsibility to these communities - and hold them accountable to that responsibility.

In our work, organized labor, we need to support our brothers and sisters across every community in the State to make sure that when they demand change and power from those who have influence, we are here to support them. Everybody deserves the strength of having one united voice to make a change for their community. We will be here as part of the SEIU State Council at 1199. We will continue to support all of our friends in the community, the Atlantic Mills Tenants Union and Reclaim Rhode Island, who have supported building tenant unity across the State.

Wherever there is injustice, we’ll be here.

We support this space’s phenomenal artists and tenants to have and maintain their community no matter who buys it. One last thing I’ll say: As part of my role recently, we negotiated a phenomenal agreement at Women & Infants Hospital. At that bargaining table, something magical happens in the world, guys. You sit across the table as equals with those in power, and that’s what these people deserve. They deserve to sit across the table, look their landlord in the eye, and say, “You need to do better for us. You need to do better for our community.”

And that starts now.