Layoffs next at Baltimore Sun as buyouts fall short

Even though at least 34 journalists at The Sun have applied for buyout packages, the paper will still need to lay off employees to achieve its goal of eliminating 60 newsroom jobs by August.

According to Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild Co-chair Tanika White, 34 Guild members and a rumored 10 more non-Guild members applied for the buyout by Friday's deadline. White stressed that some buyout applications could be rejected -- that Sun leadership may decide it cannot afford to lose certain skill sets, which would add to the number of layoffs.

Judy Berman, senior vice president of marketing for the Baltimore Sun Media Group, said the company is "staying with their original process and timeline" for buyouts and layoffs, and would not confirm the total number of buyout applications received from the newsroom. But an unofficial list of those who have applied includes reporters, photographers and editors whose service at the paper ranges from less than a year to more than 25 years.

Health and medicine reporter Jonathan Bor, education reporter GinaMarie Davis and metro reporter Lynn Anderson -- who combine for more than 44 years at The Sun -- confirmed that they had applied for buyouts, but declined to comment further.

White, also a Sun reporter, said the potential loss of veteran journalists would be "very detrimental" to The Sun.

"It's an organization that has taken some beatings in the past with lots of job reductions and loss of space in the paper and changes in ownership," said White. "And this is just one more blow."

Former employees will get one week of pay for every completed six months of service, plus 3 percent to help cover taxes. Although Guild negotiators could not get the company to budge on its timeline -- Sun employees had two weeks to consider the buyout package offered to them -- White said they did convince the company to use seniority as the basis for application approval.

She said Sun management originally wanted to choose who would be approved for a buyout if there were more applying than they needed in any particular job classification. After the company notifies those whose applications have been approved, the remaining layoffs would be primarily in the newsroom and in the call center, The Sun told the Guild.

Notification to those approved for the buyout -- and to those who will be laid off -- is scheduled to begin Friday, the company told the union.

White said that while the Guild hoped as many people as possible would take the voluntary buyout instead of risking a layoff, she was still surprised at the number of people who applied.

"My opinion is that this is one more example of the frustration people feel here at The Sun," she said. "The idea that the company could garner 34 [Guild] buyout applications just several months after staff reductions in this terrible, terrible economic environment, it shows that people ... are reluctantly realizing that they've got to find something else to do and something with a little more stability."

The Sun announced plans last month to cut 60 jobs from its newsroom as part of a sweeping cost-cutting plan within its parent Tribune Co. A total of 100 positions will be eliminated across The Baltimore Sun Media Group, which publishes The Sun and several community newspapers. The total number of buyout applications submitted across the Media Group could not be confirmed Monday.

The guild represents about 400 workers at the company. In addition to the newsroom, it represents workers in the advertising, circulation, building and finance departments,

The cuts will leave the company with about 1,300 employees, including about 240 in the newsroom.

M. William Salganik, Guild president and a Sun business reporter until he accepted a buyout package in March, said the number of buyout applications this time around signified a change of heart among the newsroom staff.

"I think it's remarkable given that there was a buyout in March and a buyout last June, so I think it's a sign that people are discouraged," he said.

"I think a few months ago there was still some hope that [Tribune owner] Sam Zell would turn it around," Salganik continued. "He came in in January saying 'cuts aren't the answer, we have to find way to generate more revenue.' ... But boy, it sure doesn't look like that now."

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