Baltimore Sun Guild Files Lawsuit Against Reporter’s Firing

The Baltimore Sun Guild filed a federal labor complaint Friday, alleging that a former employee at the newspaper was fired because she engaged in activity protected by the National Labor Relations Act — and said the dismissal was intended to discourage other employees from doing the same.

Madeleine O’Neill was fired from the Baltimore Sun in mid-September. At the time, the guild said she was fired “because of her outspoken advocacy for the journalistic and professional standards that the guild fights to protect at The Sun.”

O’Neill was fired for expressing workplace concerns, which Christine Condon, the guild’s unit president, said was wrong. The guild admits O’Neill was a probationary employee and therefore could be fired “at will,” but said that does not mean the Sun could have fired her for an illegal reason.

The National Labor Relations Act is a federal law that protects all employees, not just those who are unionized, from disciplinary action or termination for participating in “concerted activity.” According to the National Labor Relations Board, this includes multiple employees “discussing work-related matters beyond compensation” and one employee “speaking to an employer on behalf of one or more co-workers about improving working conditions”.

Baltimore Sun management and owners did not respond to a request for comment.

Condon said O’Neill’s firing from the Baltimore Sun was related to O’Neill using the messaging platform Slack to share workplace concerns about journalism standards and content in a public place, and had nothing to do with O’Neill’s job performance.

“We believe that terminating her for this reason violates labor law,” Condon said.

O’Neill said in a text message that she was grateful for the guild’s support.

“My dismissal was clearly intended to discourage other journalists from speaking out with concerns about the Sun’s coverage under its new owners,” she wrote. “The unionized journalists who still work there deserve better. »

O’Neill has been freelancing for The Baltimore Banner since she was fired from the Sun, covering the city’s ongoing lawsuit against opioid distributors.

The Baltimore Sun Guild also directs management to implement a rule that “prevents or discourages employees from participating in concerted protected activities.”

After O’Neill’s firing, Condon said, managers changed the description of a channel in Slack to discourage employees from publicly expressing criticism or concerns on the channel and asked them to speak directly to a manager or supervisor.

The Baltimore Sun Guild, which represents reporters, photographers, sales representatives and other employees of the 187-year-old newspaper, has repeatedly expressed concerns about “distressing changes” in the newsroom since its purchase by David Smith and Armstrong Williams, and said journalistic ethics had been “put aside”. Smith also serves as executive chairman of Sinclair Broadcast Group.