Etta Tenants Union forms "to protect our rights and make sure that we are not being mistreated by management"

“We are not going to stand and let management harass us and violate our rights,” said Etta Tenants Union leader Juliet Hart.

“We are here today to welcome and celebrate the tenants of Etta Apartments here in Providence who have organized the super majority support Etta Tenants Union,” said Siraj Sindhu, executive director of Reclaim Rhode Island, a statewide housing justice organization dedicated to fighting for a future where every Rhode Islander has a safe and dignified home. “For too long in Rhode Island and all over Providence, tenants have been dealing with harassment and mistreatment from their landlords with substandard living conditions, and here at Etta Apartments, it hasn’t been any different. Tenants here have been dealing with junk fees, phony fees, shakedowns, harassment, poor conditions, and the landlord has not done enough to fix the problems.

“The tenants here at Etta Apartments have bravely stood up, spoken to their neighbors, and organized,” continued Sindhu. “They are saying, ‘We’ve had it. We are not going to take it anymore. We’re not just going to stand by and let the landlord harass us and try to shake us down for phony junk fees. We are taking matters into our own hands… This is about ordinary working people - ordinary Rhode Islanders - standing up to say we are not going to let the landlord/corporate class tell us that we don’t have any power. We are not going to let them dictate our future. We’re going to take matters into our own hands. We’re going to build our own power.”

Tenants of Etta Apartments in Providence’s North End announced on Thursday that they have formed the Etta Tenants Union with supermajority support. They demand that their landlord, the real estate corporation Providence Realty Investment, agree to negotiate a collectively bargained lease in good faith. Etta Tenants Union is a new chapter of the statewide Rhode Island Tenants Union. Here’s the video:

“We’re coming together to protect our rights as tenants and to make sure that we are not being mistreated by management,” said Etta Tenants Union leader Juliet Hart. “I have been a tenant here for 21 years. This is the worst management I have ever seen. We have been harassed by our manager, Louis, for the better part of a year. First, he threw away a grocery carriage. Then he started harassing people about paying rent they had already paid, and then filled our mailbox with threatening notices. On top of that, our bathroom doors in the community room are constantly locked. With the bathrooms being locked, people have to rush upstairs, and sometimes they cannot make it. I am angry and disappointed. Our rights are being violated, and our needs are not being met. We need change.

“We are not going to stand and let management harass us and violate our rights,” continued Hart. “We want to be believed when we pay our rent. We want our bathrooms to be open and no longer be harassed constantly. This is why we have come together to form the Etta Tenants Union.”

Tenants demand that Providence Realty Investment address serious concerns. Tenants are facing poor living conditions, including junk fees for essential services such as air conditioning, a lack of security, and invasive home inspections. Tenants also face frequent harassment from management, including verbal abuse, accusations of unpaid rent, excessive notes, and fostering a culture of fear and intimidation. Tenants also call on Providence Realty Investment to not retaliate against tenants for exercising their legally protected right to organize. Other problems faced by tenants at Etta include management’s towing of tenants’ vehicles without notice or compensation.

The newly formed union has the support of the Centennial Towers Tenants Union in Pawtucket, which announced its organization in November. [See: The Centennial Towers Tenant Union: Tenants unionize Pawtucket high rise owned by the powerful Carpionato Group]

“Why did we organize?” asked Sandy, a member, leader, and floor captain of Centennial Towers Tenants Union. “Well, nothing was getting done. Maintenance issues, elevators out of service, cleaning, rodents, infestations... We decided to organize, and we started winning. Work orders are being taken more seriously. Sinks are getting fixed. Laundry room. New units. Elevators are getting fixed. Now, we’re negotiating. Now, we are a family.

“It’s hard to get people to go along. I used to be stuck myself. I was afraid because if I did this, would I be evicted? Are they going to come after me? But I decided to do this, and now I get to be part of a community. We’re so proud of our new members at Etta.

“I used to be terrified of eviction, but it’s okay because we’re doing the right thing, and we’ve got the right to do this,” continued Sandy. “I was able to overcome my fear when I saw my fellow tenants talk to the landlord and get them to the table. We’re now stronger than ever, and Etta gets to join us. So guys, don’t be afraid. We got this. You got this. Stand with each other, and it will work because you got this, and we got this. We got you.”

Etta Apartments is a project-based Section 8 building serving disabled and elderly Providence residents. The complex depends on federal subsidies. Providence Realty Investment acquired Etta Apartments in 2011, as part of a $54.8 million acquisition of 9 properties across Rhode Island, totaling 708 units of federally subsidized Section 8 housing. The company obtained a tax-exempt bond-financed mortgage and utilized federal low-income housing tax credits to make the purchase. In another 2011 transaction, Providence Realty Investment purchased a portfolio of 10 affordable housing communities in Massachusetts, totaling 931 units, for $123 million.

In 2022, PRI refinanced all of these properties for nearly double their purchase amounts: $104 million for the nine Rhode Island properties and $206 million for the 10 Massachusetts properties. The nine Rhode Island properties are: Etta Apartments, Metcalf Courts I, Metcalf Courts II, Hardig Brook Village, Bear Hill Village, Chateau Clare Apartments, Gatewood Apartments, and Indian Run Village. The $104 million Rhode Island refinancing involved utilizing multifamily risk sharing loans from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and funding from RI Housing’s Capital Magnet Fund. Part of this 2022 refinancing involved agreements to complete over $50,000 in repairs at Etta and Metcalf Courts I & II, and $560,000 was put into a “replacement reserve,” which equals nearly $4000 allotted per unit for repairs.

Providence Realty Investment (PRI) is a privately held firm founded in 2008 by Michael Hennessey and Raymond Uritescu. PRI owns 19 subsidized housing communities. Michael Hennessy and Raymond Uritescu both own homes in Barrington, RI. Hennessy’s home is valued at $4 million, and Uritescu’s at $4.9 million.

Providence City Councilmember Justin Roias (Ward 4)

“I am so proud to be here today because today is the moment people who were told to stay quiet decided they were done whispering. Today, the residents of Etta Apartments announced the formation of the Etta Apartments Tenant Union. As your city councilor, this is what I’ve envisioned all along. Tenant union density is growing in our neighborhood, and you are leading the way. What you are doing today matters. It’s brave, and whether people realize it yet or not, this moment will ripple far beyond this building.

“This began in your living rooms. I sat with residents in their homes, and almost universally I heard the same thing: at this stage of their lives, they

want to age with dignity. That stayed with me. People who worked hard their entire lives should not spend their later years begging for basic repairs, waiting endlessly for maintenance, or feeling disrespected in the very place they call home. Residents spoke about feeling bullied by property management. They spoke about feeling dehumanized, like they were expected to accept less because they live in subsidized housing. I heard about work orders left unresolved for moms, problems ignored, calls unanswered, and, beneath it all, exhaustion. The exhaustion that comes from feeling invisible for too long.

“Nobody should feel small in their own home, and nobody should feel afraid to speak up because they fear management might retaliate. Nobody should be treated as disposable because they’re elderly, working class, disabled, or living in section eight housing. The truth is, these stories are unfortunately not unique. I’ve heard the same stories in both privately owned Section 8 and subsidized complexes throughout the North End. They have different addresses, but the same playbook. And that playbook is delay, ignore, intimidate, and hope people stay isolated long enough to give up.

“But something changed here. The residents of other apartments decided they were done carrying these burdens alone. They looked at one another and realized something powerful: Management has power when tenants are separated. Residents have power when they stand together. That realization, friends, changes everything because once one building organizes, guess what? Another building starts talking. And then another. And another. That’s why today matters, because today the dominoes fall in the North End.

“Today, the people who are expected to struggle quietly are standing together publicly. Today, tenants across the city are watching other apartments, realizing that maybe we deserve better, too. As your city councilor, I will always stand shoulder to shoulder with the Etta Apartments Tenant Union, and I will continue to fight alongside you. I will work to ensure that every tool available to the city government is leveraged to support you, protect you, and hold bad actors accountable, because no one should have to trade their dignity for a place to live.

“To the residents standing here today, I want you to know that years from now, people may look back on this moment as the beginning of something bigger in Providence, bigger than one building, bigger than one landlord, bigger than one dispute over repairs. They may look back and see that this was the moment this city stopped quietly accepting disrespect and started demanding dignity. And if that happens, it will be because of your courage. I am proud to stand with you today. I am proud to be your city councilor. Let’s continue to fight.”

Michael Ziegler, executive director of Local 6516, an affiliate of the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers

“It’s a privilege to be here with you today. I am the president of a labor union representing more than 2,000 workers at Brown University, and that means I know something about collective power. I know it’s the only way that working people win. I can tell you about the way that’s led to a change in tune at Brown.

“When grads first organized at Brown, they marched on the president’s mansion (housing that’s provided to the president by the employer, believe it or not. Those of us who actually do productive work don’t get that deal at Brown). But when they marched on the president’s office, this was originally to get dental care. They didn’t have it at the time, someone from the crowd yelled out, “We need a union.” Allegedly, the president, upon hearing that, laughed.

“It’s been 10 years since that happened. In that time, my wages have risen by 75% over the past five years, improving my life. Those are the sorts of wins we can have when we come together and work for a common purpose, like you’re doing right now.

“Our 2,000 members stand in solidarity with you because we face many of the same challenges as renters. The vast majority of people in our union are renters. I’m a renter. We face threats from management. We face ridiculous fees. In my experience as a renter, my wife and I have a 14-month-old son. He recently went in for routine testing for kids his age. His lead levels were above the healthy range. These are the kinds of challenges that our members are facing, the same challenges you are. That’s why we’re in solidarity with you. We’re in the same position you are. We understand your struggles, and we’re going to struggle with you until you get dignity and respect where you live. Call us if you need us again. 2,000 people will be here in support of you as you continue this fight.”

Jesse Martin, Executive Vice President of SEIU 1199 New England

“My distinct honor in the world is to represent over 7,000 direct healthcare workers in Rhode Island. They started forming a union before it was legal for healthcare workers to form one. We fight against the system that’s built for the very few to profit from in healthcare. Similarly, the system is built for property owners and renters, not for renters. The system is built so that very few make incredible amounts of money off of the many. And that is wrong.

“The super majority of our members deliver care in this community. You can’t deliver care if there’s no hot water. You can’t deliver care if the conditions aren’t good enough to make sure that vermin aren’t around. You can’t deliver care if you don’t have electricity or working appliances or the ability to come in and out of your living space safely, no matter the weather. There are some basic dignities in this world that, for the sake of profit, we allow the very few to force the many to live without. Our members see that every day in our hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, and in-home spaces where we care for people, and it’s just wrong.

“But there’s a moment happening here in Rhode Island and Providence, where people are sick of being one of the many who have nothing. We’re sick of it. And there’s a long-standing saying in our union: ‘When we fight, we win. When we fight, we win.’ I want to make sure that every tenant in this union and every future tenant in a union across the state of Rhode Island knows that SEIU’s got your back, because no matter where you come from in this world, no matter how much money you make, no matter what your healthcare needs are, you deserve dignity.

“We shouldn’t have to sacrifice our humanity and our dignity so that someone can get rich. I want to ensure that landlords like this one know that organized labor has the back of every member of our community. Yes, we build power in workplaces, but we need to build power in our communities just as much as we build it in our workplaces.

“When we fight, we win.”

David Morales (Democrat, District 7, Providence) and candidate for Providence Mayor

“So many of our neighbors across Providence and in our state have watched rising rents, deplorable conditions, and junk fees, and are expected to believe they are normal, but we recognize that it is not right. We recognize that it’s exploitive behavior, because every tenant deserves a dignified home.

“What is happening here this afternoon is tenants coming together, building community, and having a historic moment in which they can collectively raise the issues around the dramatic, drastic conditions they have experienced for years and decades. You are not alone in this struggle, because we have seen the playbook. Tenants feel isolated, as if it is just them going through the experience. That’s not right.

“What is being done through this organizing is recognizing that we are in this together. That is what the Etta Apartments Tenant Union represents: solidarity and strength, the strength to collectively say that we will no longer allow for these deplorable conditions. We will no longer allow accusations that someone has not paid their rent when they have already done so. We will not stand for junk fees that expect more and more from you, even though you are on a fixed income.

“Over the last several moments, I have spoken with some of the tenants, and what stands out immediately is that you’re neighbors, but most importantly, you’re friends, you look out for one another. That is something no property management company or landlord can take away from you: The power and strength of solidarity and friendship, and using that power to make sure that anytime one of our tenants is being harassed, you know your neighbor’s got your back.

“And that is what the Etta Tenants Union represents. It represents solidarity for one another. Know that we are incredibly proud of you. From the unions that are standing here in solidarity, to the council members, to Reclaim Rhode Island, all the way to your fellow neighbors, you should all feel incredibly proud because what you are building is a movement that cannot be stopped. They can ignore one phone call at a time. But if it’s a collective series of phone calls, they cannot ignore you.

“We’ll make sure that any future work order gets completed in a timely fashion. We’ll make sure that when you have a code violation, it actually gets addressed. It’s going to happen because you’re going to stand together. Let it be known to the landlords of Etta Apartments that our tenants, community, and neighbors are not going to stand for these conditions any longer.

“Together we’re going to fight.”

Siraj Sindhu, executive director of Reclaim Rhode Island

“A super majority of tenants have signed on in support of the union. They are calling on their landlord, Providence Realty Investments, to come to the table and negotiate in good faith. Will Providence Realty Investment recognize the union and come to the table and negotiate in good faith? That is all we’re asking for. Come to the table and negotiate in good faith with the tenants. I want to thank everybody for coming here today, and most of all, I want to thank our tenant leaders who are standing up and, with bravery and courage, building power to demand what every tenant in Rhode Island deserves: dignity, safety, and respect.”