#376: Tschüss, strikes!
What's a Babyklappe?
Dear 20 Percent,
Hopefully, this is this last time I have to put “strike” in the subject line for a long time. On Monday, public transport operator BVG said it had cut a deal with labour union Verdi.
The threat of an “indefinite strike” has been averted.
Under the agreement, BVG’s 16,600 workers will receive an extra €430/month plus a one-time payment of €1,500 and €100 more “Christmas money”. Maybe time to apply for a job at BVG?
Mediators and ex-politicians Bodo Ramelow (Die Linke) and Matthias Platzeck (SPD) made the deal happen. Thanks, guys. One less thing to worry about.
By the way, Episode #10 of the 20% Berlin Podcast is out. Andrew and I discuss current affairs and Andrew ridicules my haircut.
More news below.
Maurice
How much money is needed to modernise Berlin?
It would cost €108 billion to bring Berlin's public infrastructure such as bridges, roads, railways, schools, universities and utility grids up to a modern standard within 10 years, reports taz. That’s the conclusion of a joint study by business association UVB, Investitionsbank Berlin (IBB) and the East German Bankers Association. The amount is two and a half times Berlin’s entire budget and exceeds the €100 billion special fund recently approved by the Bundestag for all 16 federal states together. According to the study, Berlin could scrape together €50 billion in a decade. The rest could be raised through privatisations and public-private partnerships, the authors suggest. Unsurprisingly, mayor Kai Wegner’s conservative CDU is receptive to such ideas, their centre-left coalition partner SPD not so much. As I keep saying: Germany needs to stop building new stuff (like the A100 extension) so it can fix existing stuff.
Influencer in court after New Years Eve firework video
The trial of a 23-year-old tourist from the West Bank who filmed himself launching a firework into a Neukölln flat is underway. State prosecutors accuse the Palestinian influencer of attempted arson, attempted grievous bodily harm and damage to property. He acted “out of self-interest and with complete ruthlessness” and posted a video of the incident on his popular Instagram account, prosecutors said. The rocket caused a fire in a child’s bedroom but no one was hurt. The man has been in custody since January 4, when the cops arrested him at the airport. His lawyer says he’s “awfully sorry” and that he just didn’t realise that the firework could cause so much damage. Maybe three months in jail is punishment enough?
AI win for Berlin
We can do AI things! Local start-up Brighter AI was just sold to Cannon-owned, Copenhagen-based Milestone, reports Handelsblatt. While a lot of AI seems to be all about more surveillance, Brighter anonymises faces and other identifying attributes like license plates in videos and is already by used by big names like VW, Deutsche Bahn and Nvidia. The firm was founded in 2017 and employs 24.
Events this week, curated by The Next Day Berlin
💥Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind
Opening: Thursday, 10.04, 7pm. Gropius Bau, Niederkirchnerstr. 7. Free entry for the opening + DJ set by Saeko Killy. The exhibition runs until 31.08. Tickets: €10-€15.
One of the year's most anticipated exhibitions in Berlin opens this Thursday. We can’t wait! Over 200 works from seven decades celebrating Yoko Ono’s groundbreaking art, music, and activism. It is a powerful invitation to imagine, participate, and dream together. We’ll be there for sure.
🎶After-Work MusikZEIT with guest DJ Mark Reeder
Friday, 11.04, 6pm – 9pm. Museum Ephraim-Palais, Poststr. 16. Tickets: €3-€5.
Berlin history with a twist: Music legend Mark Reeder plays an 80s-inspired DJ set in the exhibition space. Grab a drink and enjoy this special after-hours museum evening.
🐰 Easter Market at Domäne Dahlem
Saturday–Sunday, 12–13.04, 10 am – 6 pm. Domäne Dahlem, Königin-Luise-Str. 49. Tickets: €4.50 / €2 (kids under 12 free)
This Easter market brings fresh organic produce, handmade crafts, and some little surprises across the Domäne Dahlem estate. There’ll be tractor rides, hands-on fun for kids, and plenty of seasonal treats to snack on while you wander.
💃Cia de Dança Deborah Colker – Cão Sem Plumas / Dog Without Feathers
Sunday, 13.04, 8 pm. Admiralspalast, Friedrichstraße 101. Tickets: €32.50 – €77.85
One of our favorite Brazilian choreographers brings her most visceral and poetic work to Berlin. With haunting projections by Cláudio Assis and the powerful physicality of 14 dancers, Dog Without Feathers transforms João Cabral de Melo Neto’s iconic poem into movement. It’s a striking blend of classical, contemporary, and ritual dance rooted in the landscapes and people of the Capibaribe.
🥨 Germany-wide news 🥨
🤑How Trump’s tariffs are affecting Germany’s coalition talks
😬Schools closed over extremist right threats
😓Manhunt in Rheinland-Pfalz after three bodies found
Factoid
Twenty-five years ago, on April 8, 2000, Germany’s first modern-day Babyklappe (baby hatch) was opened at the Waldfriede Hospital in Zehlendorf. Babyklappen, which have existed in Europe at least since the Middle Ages, provide a safe place for mothers to leave newborns as a last resort if they feel they cannot adequately care for them. If babies aren’t claimed by mothers within 8 weeks they are put up for adoption. Since 2000, 112 newborns have been left in Berlin’s baby hatches. Waldfriede has since discontinued theirs but four hospitals in Berlin and one in Potsdam still have a Babyklappe.
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Babyklappe. Interesting to compare these important programs. Under the California law, “The Safe Surrender Baby Law”, effective beginning in 2001, newborns can be confidentially surrendered to any hospital emergency department or fire station.