Workers at Camden Yards being paid poverty wages

With the average MLB salary nearing $3 million, the treatment of cleaners at Camden Yards is unconscionable. I've been a fan of the Baltimore Orioles for many years, and am always amazed at the amount of money flowing when I go to a game at Camden Yards. From parking, food, alcohol, even a bottle of water. Now I am ashamed to hear that the Maryland Stadium Authority, which owns Camden Yards, is refusing to pay the workers the Baltimore City living wage. And that Orioles owner Peter Angelos, who made a verbal agreement in 2004 to pay the workers the living wage, has been silent. But I shouldn't be surprised by Angelos. He's fodder for another posting.

On Sept 3, the cleaners at Camden Yards will begin a hunger strike until living wages at the publicly owned stadium are secured.

UnitedWorkers.org has been trying to improve the conditions at Camden Yards for years. From their website:

We focused on a single demand from the start: Pay every worker at Camden Yards at least the Baltimore City living wage. Baltimore was the first city in the United States to pass living wage legislation, but the stadium was not covered by this law because Camden Yards belongs to the state of Maryland, not Baltimore City. Anything less than a living wage is a poverty-wage, and we wanted to drive home the point that paying workers poverty-wages is part of the cause of poverty.

Camden Yards was rampant with human rights violations. When we started organizing at the stadium workers were paid a flat rate — regardless of hours worked. This resulted in workers usually making less than $4.50 an hour — not counting unpaid wait times. Woman were harassed. Breaks were denied and workers were mistreated on a daily basis.

The argument is often made that “these people” should be trying to get better jobs if they're not happy with the current wages. But that's not a fair statement. Not everyone has the same opportunities, skills, or abilities. Some of these workers live in shelters. This may be the best some of them can do. The fact that they want to work should be rewarded. Watch this video of Valerie, a middle aged, single woman who cleans at Camden Yards, and see if you think she's doing the best she can: