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Chicago's iconic Berlin nightclub has permanently closed its doors after a memorable four-decade-long run. The nightclub released a statement on its official website and social media handles late Tuesday, November 21, confirming that the party had ended on Sunday, November 19. The Belmont Avenue nightclub had been a well-frequented stalwart for the LGBTQ+ community of Chicago.
Berlin detailed in its statement that the club's closure was due to the increased expenditure brought about by an increase in factors like security, insurance, equipment, and rent. The closure comes amidst Unite Here Local 1's decision to unionize club workers and present a set of demands that, according to a club statement in October, were not feasible for the club.
Chicago's Berlin Nightclub says farewell
On Tuesday, November 21, Berlin Nightclub, located at 954 W Belmont Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, released a somber statement informing people of the club's closure. The club had been a devoted and trusted venue for LGBTQ+ patrons and performers. The statement confirmed that the "party ended" at 5 am, November 19, 2023, around 40 years and 10,000 nights from when it began.
"The final chapter will surely be written by the essayists, the journalists, and memorialized in tribute events and documentaries but the magic that happened at 954 W. Belmont will never be recreated," the statement read.
The statement called the nightclub a "crazy location" and a "remarkable tornado" of performers, staff, friends, and customers. The statement cited that rising expenses from "increased security, insurance and licensing, equipment, rent, and more" could not be overstated.
"We could not imagine morphing the bar into a bottle service, VIP area venue. So the doors are locked. The music is silenced and our dreams are now memories," it added.
The statement ended by talking about how the first ads in 1983 had called the nightclub the "Bar of the Future," but the future was now, and it was time for them to go home. The nightclub was owned by Jim Schuman and Jo Webster following the death of co-founder Tim Sullivan in 1994.
Berlin nightclub vs unionized employees
Berlin employees had decided to unionize and elect union representatives in April 2022, following the bar's reopening after COVID-19. According to an open letter by the nightclub owners published on the website last month, the union and the bar ownership have had "numerous frank and, at times, difficult" negotiations.
The unionization resulted from a campaign launched by Unite Here Local 1. The letter revealed that Berlin had never been a "true full-time employer" as none of their employees worked for more than 27 hours a week in a club that was open for only 25 hours a week. More than half of the employees worked for 14 hours a week. Employees are paid a base hourly wage plus tips.
The union demands presented in June highlighted a need for a 58% to 132% overall increase in wage expenditure. The union demanded that unionized workers with a minimum of 7 hours a week shift be considered full-time employees and receive free healthcare and pension paid in full by Berlin. All these additional benefits would have cost the nightclub "over half a million dollars" in the first year of the contract itself.
The club stated that it wanted to pay union demands, but it said that this would result in the club becoming "non-competitive" as customer prices would have been increased, resulting in a loss of patrons to other venues. The letter read:
"When some of Berlin’s unionized workers went on strike and picketed on August 4th and 5th, we were shocked. Our entertainers and many of our staff were asked not to perform. 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."
However, Berlin did not mention the union or any negotiations in their farewell statement. Unite Here Local 1 released a statement on X (formerly Twitter) in response to Berilin's decision to shut down. The statement revealed that Berlin workers were "heartbroken" about the club's permanent and abrupt closure. The union called it "the wrong decision."
The union detailed that its campaign was always centered around creating a Berlin that was better for its artists, workers, performers, patrons, and community. They alleged that the company was made aware that the proposals were not final and that they were open to negotiating in good faith to reach a financially practical agreement.
"We continue to believe that businesses that refuse to value our work above minimum m wage do not belong in our community. They cannot survive because we know our worth," the union wrote.
Six-year Berlin Nightclub veteran bartender Jolene Saint said in a Unite Here press release that she was proud of herself and her co-workers for standing up to a world that "undervalues and dismisses queer and trans people." She was grateful to everyone who stood up for them and believed that "resiliency and collective care" would propel them forward.
"Berlin's owners decided to close rather than offer us more than minimum wage. We decided to organize the union at Berlin Nightclub because queer and trans workers are worth more than that," she said.
The union revealed that the owners rejected their proposals for seven months at the bargaining table. It also stated that the owners never showed up in person. However, Berlin's October open letter revealed that the owners had not shown up as Jim was suffering from stage 4 cancer, and Jo was his primary caretaker. Hence, they sent their "management personnel and legal counsel."
