(Kristine Buls/Examiner)
Sakia Johnson and her son, Shamar Crutchfield, attend the prayer breakfast Monday at Light Street Presbyterian Church in Baltimore City in support of a living wage for day laborers at Camden Yards. A hunger strike was postponed to give the Maryland Stadium Authority time to respond to Friday's announcement of support by Gov. Martin O'Malley and Mayor Sheila Dixon.

Not ranked
Filed under: BALTIMORE , Jason Flanagan , Camden Yards strike

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - The $7 an hour Lamont Pollard makes cleaning up Oriole Park at Camden Yards isn’t enough to help support his family of four, he said.

And he’s skeptical it will change, even if he starves himself in protest.

“I’ve been hearing the same story for two years, and I’m tired of nothing happening,” said Pollard, 27, of Baltimore City, who was one of about a dozen stadium workers who planned a hunger strike Monday to protest low pay and demand a living wage.

The strike was postponed after Gov. Martin O’Malley said Friday that the Maryland Stadium Authority should not be exempt from living-wage requirements for contractors.

“We’re postponing the start date to give MSA some breathing room so that the MSA can turn words into actions and intentions in commitments,” said Carl Johnson of the United Workers Association, which represents the 800 temporary workers who clean Camden Yards and M&T Bank Stadium.

Now the workers and supporters will wait until Saturday to proceed with the hunger strike if the wage doesn’t change.

They seek at the very least Baltimore City’s living-wage standard: $9.62 an hour. The state living wage, which goes into effect Oct. 1, will be $11.30 in the Baltimore area. The new law does not include temporary workers like Pollard.

“When I found out how my tax dollars were being spent, I was outraged,” said Nicholas Petr, 27, of Baltimore, who is not a worker but joined the hunger strike to support the cause. “We have to show support for this injustice.”

The announcement came Labor Day at the Light Street Presbyterian Church, where United Workers members and politicians voiced support for the strike and hope for higher pay.

“This is a serious issue ... one that we don’t take this issue lightly,” Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon said.

If no progress is made by the end of the week, Pollard said he is willing to continue with the strike.

“We ain’t getting support, so we have to be heard,” Pollard said. “I wear this yellow band that all the protesters are wearing, because I’ve decided this is important for me to do.”

Capital News Service contributed to this article.

jflanagan@baltimoreexaminer.com

Join the discussion in today's examiNation Baltimore poll and question: What do you think a "living wage" should be?