Baltimore Sun Guild protests new ownership’s contract proposals

Members of the Baltimore Sun Guild recently staged a protest, voicing concerns over contract negotiations with the newspaper’s new conservative ownership. About 50 Guild members and supporters gathered outside the Sun’s offices, chanting “Who are we? The Baltimore Sun! Who are we? Not Sinclair!” and carrying signs with slogans like “Don’t Sinclair our Sun” and “Integrity matters!”

The protest comes amid ongoing contract negotiations between the Guild and the new ownership, led by David D. Smith, executive chairman of Sinclair Broadcasting Group, and conservative radio host Armstrong Williams. The union is seeking job protections and the first across-the-board raise for members in over a decade, while also pushing to maintain professional standards and protect Guild-covered journalists’ jobs.

Dan Rodricks, a columnist who has worked at the Sun for 48 years, emphasized the importance of upholding journalistic standards. “We need a real commitment to uphold the journalistic standards that Sun journalists have worn as a badge of honor through all my time at the paper,” Rodricks stated.

Guild leaders reported that the two sides remain far apart in negotiations, with management proposing what the union calls “egregious” changes. These include reducing seniority protections during layoffs and weakening the requirement of just and sufficient cause for dismissal. The Guild has also raised concerns about newly imposed story quotas and the publication of content from what they term “questionable wire services.

Image via Washington-Baltimore News Guild’s X account

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