After nearly forty years, Berlin Nightclub, 954 W. Belmont Ave., officially closed its doors Nov. 19 following a months-long fight between its owners and unionized workers.
Owners Jim Schuman and Jo Webster officially announced Berlin Nightclub's closure Nov. 21 on its Instagram, citing operating costs.
"The expenses of increased security, insurance and licensing, equipment, rent and more cannot be overestimated and we could not imagine morphing the bar into a bottle service, VIP area venue," the post read. "So the doors are locked."
Berlin's workers unionized in April with UNITE HERE Local 1 with the goal of advocating for better working conditions, increased wages and healthcare benefits.Schuman and Webster repeatedly said it would be too costly to meet workers' demands.
Workers announced a boycott of Berlin Nightclub Oct. 26. Since then, drag performers have canceled their shows at the club in support of the workers' efforts to secure their first contract. The workers had already staged a strike in August as well.
In an open letter published in October, Schuman and Webster warned the nightclub struggled to recover from the workers' initial strike Aug. 4-5 and might not survive the boycott.
"As we rent our space, Berlin has high fixed costs and we can ill afford to lose a sold-out weekend in the summer or continue to operate with such uncertainty," the letter read.
Since opening in 1983, Berlin developed a reputation for being a safe haven for people who aren't accepted in mainstream LGBTQ+ clubs—like trans people, lesbians and the BIPOC community—by welcoming a variety of performers and celebrating marginalized identities.
"It was a remarkable tornado of talented performers and staff, inspired friends and customers, a crazy location and a lot of dreams," Berlin Nightclub's farewell Instagram post reads.
UNITE HERE Local 1 organizers said it was wrong for Schuman and Webster to decide to "permanently and abruptly close this historic institution," according to the union's Instagram.
"Our union campaign was always centered around creating a Berlin that is better for the workers, better for the artists and performers, better for the patrons and better for the community," the post read.
A high rate of staff turnover due to low wages created an environment that felt unsafe and made it difficult for people to "put their roots down" and "put work into the space," unionized worker Jolene Saint said last month.
"If clubs or institutions like Berlin, that purport themselves to be pillars of the LGBTQ+ community, want to say they're havens for the community, then they need to take care of the community," Saint said when the October boycott was first announced.
When negotiating for their contract, workers asked to be paid more than minimum wage and to receive free healthcare benefits. But, Schuman and Webster said these changes would be too expensive and cost more than a half million dollars in the first year of the contract.
"It would be nice to pay the employees what the union wants," the owners said in their October open letter."Unfortunately, agreeing to the union's demands will make Berlin non-competitive, and result in a large increase of costs to our customers, causing Berlin's patrons to go to other venues."
Union organizers said in Nov. 21 they made it clear that they were willing to negotiate in good faith in order to reach an agreement that was financially practical for the business, according to the post.
"We continue to believe that businesses that refuse to value our work above minimum wage do not belong in our community," the post read. "They cannot survive because we know our worth.
"While we are sad that Jim and Jo have made this decision, we know that our community is resilient, creative and capable of dreaming things into its place."
UNITE HERE LOCAL 1's full statement is here: www.instagram.com/p/Cz6ssdvrfY5/ .
Berlin Nightclub owners Jim Schuman and Jo Webster's open letter is here: berlinchicago.com/union.
Berlin Nightclub's farewell Instagram post can be found here: www.instagram.com/p/Cz7Gym4vbgT/ .
