Marking a year since the Baltimore Sun was bought by Sinclair Broadcast Group executive chairman David D. Smith and conservative columnist Armstrong Williams, union leaders offered a grim assessment of what has transpired at the news organization.

“In just 12 months, Smith has made his agenda clear, with union-busting tactics and a disregard for journalistic integrity,” the Baltimore Sun Guild said today in a series of postings on “X.”

According to the union’s tally, 19 of its members have resigned, were laid off or were fired, including courts reporter Madeleine O’Neil, terminated after raising questions internally about coverage (an action the Guild has formally protested to the National Labor Relations Board).

“Many departing members cited frustration with the new ownership, including its decision to publish content from Sinclair that didn’t meet the prior standards,” the Guild said.

BREW’S VIDEO of most of Sun photographer Amy Davis’ December 20 confrontation with owner David Smith.

Guild leaders’ assessment after six months of contract talks with the new management was equally bleak.

“At the bargaining table, Smith’s Sun proposed gutting union protections, including those for discipline and layoffs,” the Guild said, noting the company has hired a lawyer specializing in “union avoidance.”

In addition to pushing for employees’ first raise in over a decade, Guild leaders said they also launched a public information campaign – including rallies and a byline strike – that resulted in 1,647 letters of protest being sent to Smith and Williams.

Exchange with Guild Member

Today’s union tweets didn’t go into detail about the editorial changes in The Sun, among them the elimination of the features department, a move that prompted filmmaker John Waters in November to declare: “H.L. Mencken just puked in his grave.”

Sun management has not replied to The Brew’s request for comment.

But Smith himself defended his bargaining-table stance and editorial changes in a prickly back-and-forth with veteran Sun photographer Amy Davis.

“I run into a lot of people who say, ‘I just canceled. I wasn’t happy with the direction of the paper,’” Davis told him

“I ran into a lot of people who say the opposite,” Smith replied.

(This was at a December 20 informational flyer action the Guild staged outside one of the upscale Atlas restaurants owned by his nephew, Alex Smith.)

Smith goes on to  place blame on the Guild for its current contract (“Why haven’t you updated it in 20 years? I can’t wait to hear this!”) and trolled a photographer from the Baltimore Banner (“I don’t think you’re going to be around long from what I hear”) before heading to dinner.

“Are we having fun yet?” he asked with a grin, as The Brew and others watched the sidewalk exchange.

• Brandishing fliers that call David Smith a union buster, a Baltimore Sun journalist confronts newspaper owner (12/21/24)