BALTIMORE — Baby's On Fire Cafe will close its doors soon, according to an Instagram post made Friday.
Owners Shirlé Hale-Koslowski and David Koslowski cited "significant losses in revenue" as the reason for the closure of the Mount Vernon-based cafe and record store, with the last day of service set for Sunday, July 19.
"To the Mount Vernon community and all of Baltimore, thank you for your support over the years. It has been a pleasure being a part of the community and serving each and every one of you. We also would like to thank our staff for their hard work and support over the years. All of you have made Baby's On Fire something truly special, and we will carry every memory with us always," the owners said.
The announcement comes after employees at the cafe filed paperwork to unionize with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 27, which represents essential workers across Baltimore and Maryland.
According to statements from the workers, both owners have operated the business from Europe since it was established in 2016, adding that they have been keeping the business afloat while the owners have been in Portugal.
"Our goal has always been to make Baby's On Fire sustainable and stronger with a unionized staff, but the owners are denying us that chance," the workers said.
According to an Instagram post, the employees sent the owners a "Request for Voluntary Recognition" on June 22, hoping their union would be supported.
After a week passed, the employees say they hadn't heard from the owners, prompting them to file a petition for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board.
The workers said they would withdraw the petition if the owners voluntarily recognized their union.
This brings us to Friday, when the employees learned that the cafe would be closing in less than two weeks.
"This move by the owners, Shirlé Hale-Koslowski and David Koslowski, shows complete disregard for us as staff and any willingness to operate in good faith," the workers said. "Many of us live paycheck to paycheck, don't have access to our paystubs, and are panicking."
Jason Chorpenning, president of UFCW Local 27, says "it's clear" that the owners chose to shutter the business because the workers wanted to unionize.
"This has been a popular business for a decade, and there is no reason to shut it down, but it seems the owners would rather throw their workers out of a job than respect their right to unionize. It's union-busting 101," Chorpenning said.
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The workers have since started a GoFundMe to help support employees with living expenses.
