The Autonomous Tenants Union Network (ATUN), also known as “La Red de Sindicatos de Inquilinos Autónomos,” ¹ is a radical-left coalition of tenants’ unions that advocates for abolition of private land ownership and other far-left policy goals outside the bounds of the landlord-tenant relationship. ² The ATUN has 41 members across the United States and Canada, including the Milwaukee Autonomous Tenants Union and the Los Angeles Tenants Union. ³

Founding

According to a 2021 article in the Radical Housing Journal written by an Autonomous Tenants Union Network member, the ATUN began in April 2018 as a conference call among representatives of numerous American tenants’ unions to share strategies and offer support. The call became monthly until late 2019 when plans were devised for an in-person conference, which was turned into a digital conference due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In October 2020, the members convened for a virtual founding of the ATUN which included devising the organization’s structure and “Points of Unity” laying out its ideological basis. ¹

Membership

Member tenants’ unions in the Autonomous Tenants Union Network agree to abide by a set of principles, including a refusal to accept funding from “nonprofits, big foundations, and government[s].” Member tenant unions must be tenant-run, be governed collectively, and must “[build] tenant power beyond one particular building or complex.” Members pay dues of $50 per year or $1 per member tenant per year. ^{3 2}

As of November 2025, the ATUN has 41 members across 18 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada, including the Milwaukee Autonomous Tenants Union and the Los Angeles Tenants Union. ³ Many of the ATUN’s member organizations are also affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America and the Right to the City Alliance. ⁴ Individuals from the United Kingdom and Ireland have participated in ATUN conference calls. ¹

Ideology

The Autonomous Tenants Union Network is a radical-left, anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist organization. ²

The ATUN and its member tenant unions abide by a “Points of Unity” list that lays out the organization’s ideology. According to the Points, the landlord-tenant relationship is inherently exploitative because landlords can only own land through expropriation. By the ATUN’s account, American “Tenants have always been in crisis”; for instance, at the founding of the United States, only landowners could vote. This alleged crisis has worsened in recent decades as land has supposedly consolidated into the possession of fewer landlords with monopoly power, leading to rents rising faster than wages. Racial minorities in particular are targeted by aggressive landlords. ²

According to the ATUN, this crisis can only be solved by “overthrowing capitalism and establishing a cooperative political and economic system.” This would result in the abolition of landlords, land ownership, eviction, and rent. The Points cite Friedrich Engels, one of the founders of Marxist communism, as an ideological inspiration to this end. ²

The right-of-center Capital Research Center has described the ATUN’s self-identification as a “tenants union” as a “ploy” for anarchism and a radical-left revolutionary ideology. ATUN defines a tenant as any individual “who does not have control over their housing,” which includes not just renters but the homeless, college students, and everyone who is not a landlord or homeowner. It also takes stances on numerous issues far outside the bounds of the landlord-tenant relationship. ⁴

ATUN is opposed to gentrification, which it considers to be a form of displacement of low-income individuals for profit. ²

ATUN supports the return of land to Indigenous North American tribes, claiming they “are some of the most deeply affected by the tenant crisis.” ATUN denies the legitimacy of North America’s current governments. ²

ATUN supports government reparations for Black Americans. ²

ATUN is anti-imperialist and opposed to U.S. foreign policy. ^{5 6} The ATUN endorsed the March on Washington for Gaza, a pro-Palestinian protest march that took place in Washington, D.C. on January 13, 2024 led by the American Muslim Task Force. ⁶ Many ATUN members are involved in anti-Israel activism and frame Israel as “an oppressive landlord.” According to the Capital Research Center, the ATUN indirectly endorsed the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel through its social media posts. ⁴

Structure

In accordance with the Autonomous Tenants Union Network’s ideological aversion to traditional nonprofits, the ATUN does not have a nonprofit structure. Rather, the ATUN collects membership dues through the Tenant Information Network, Inc. ⁴

Activities

The Autonomous Tenants Union Network supports its member tenant unions in advocating against landlords and for their tenants. Tactics used by the ATUN and its members include locking out landlords, mass refusals to pay rent, public rallies, legal defenses against evictions, and raising public awareness through media outlets. ^{7 8}

Despite claiming to eschew funding from nonprofits, ATUN works with nonprofits in the “Housing Justice movement.” ⁴

The ATUN has held annual digital or in-person conferences since 2020. ^{3 1}

1. “On the Autonomous Tenants Union Network La Red de Sindicatos de Inquilinos Autónomos (ATUN).” Radical Housing Journal. May 2021. Accessed November 14, 2025. https://radicalhousingjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/RHJ_Issue-3.1_10_Updates_ATUN_99-104.pdf.
2. “How do we join ATUN?.” ATUN. Accessed November 14, 2025. https://atun-rsia.org/joinatun.
3. “About ATUN.” ATUN. Accessed November 14, 2025. https://atun-rsia.org/tenant-unions.
4. “Infiltrated: The Ideological Capture of Homelessness Advocacy.” Capital Research Center. Accessed November 14, 2025. https://capitalresearch.org/app/uploads/Infiltrated-Report-1.pdf.
5. Rufo, Christopher F. “Infiltrated: The Ideological Capture of Homelessness Advocacy.” Capital Research Center. Accessed November 14, 2025. https://capitalresearch.org/app/uploads/Infiltrated-Report-1.pdf.
6. “Endorsers.” March on Washington for Gaza. Accessed November 14, 2025. https://march4gaza.org/endorsers/.
7. Moatasim, Faiza. “Direct Action at Home: Performative Spaces of Tenant Resistance in Los Angeles.” Wiley Online Library. June 25, 2025. Accessed November 14, 2025. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/anti.13075.
8. “Organizing Resources.” ATUN. Accessed November 14, 2025. https://atun-rsia.org/resources.