Residents of Centennial Towers form tenants’ union in response to ‘poor conditions’

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WLNE) — Residents of Centennial Towers in Pawtucket have voted to form a tenants’ union in response to “poor conditions” at the property, according to the union.

A Centennial Towers Tenants Union spokesperson said the property, which is an affordable housing complex for the elderly, has broken elevators that “pose a considerable challenge for the building’s elderly and disabled residents.”

Despite that, organizers said the property owner, the Carpionato Group, has created various fees for residents, then threatened to evict them if they didn’t pay.

“The tenants of the centennial towers are standing up to remind their landlord that the working people of Rhode Island stand united. I’m calling on the landlord to immediately recognize the centennial Towers Tenants union. It is time for them to come and bargain together in good faith,” one spokesperson for the union said.

A spokesperson for the Carpionato Group told ABC6 News the union’s claims of poor maintenance is “categorically false,” and that the company has spent millions on upkeep at its properties.