Union Workers Protest $8.6M Cape May Police Headquarters Project Over Hiring Practices

Demonstrators say workers are being brought in from outside New Jersey for the taxpayer-funded project rather than hiring more local tradespeople.

CAPE MAY, N.J. — Union workers gathered outside the construction site of Cape May's new police headquarters Monday, protesting what they say is the use of workers from outside New Jersey on the multimillion-dollar public project.

The demonstration took place Sept. 28 at the future Cape May Police Department headquarters at Lafayette and St. John's streets.

According to the Cape May County Herald, union members say Ogren Construction, the project's general contractor, is bringing in workers from outside New Jersey rather than employing tradespeople from the area.

The demonstrators gathered outside the construction site to make their case to the public as work continues on a building that is expected to serve as Cape May's police headquarters for decades.

Details about which unions participated, the number of demonstrators and which workers or subcontractors are at the center of the dispute were not immediately available.

It also was not immediately clear whether the unions are alleging any violation of New Jersey labor law or are objecting specifically to the use of nonlocal workers.

Contractor Is Based in South Jersey

Ogren Construction itself is not an out-of-state company.

Arthur J. Ogren Inc. is based in Vineland and has worked on numerous construction projects throughout South Jersey.

Cape May awarded Ogren the contract to build the new police headquarters after the company submitted the lowest bid for the project.

The original construction contract was approximately $8.6 million. Cape May's current construction update lists the award to Ogren at $8.626 million.

Construction began in November 2025 and is expected to be completed in May 2027.

The city reported in its latest project update that work is continuing on the building's brick exterior and roof, while mechanical and electrical subcontractors are working inside.

That raises an unanswered question at the center of Monday's protest: whether the workers being criticized by the demonstrators are directly employed by Ogren or by one or more of its subcontractors.

Public Project Subject to State Labor Requirements

Because the police headquarters is a public construction project, contractors performing covered work are subject to New Jersey's prevailing-wage requirements.

Those rules establish minimum wage and benefit levels for workers in various construction trades on covered public projects.

Prevailing-wage requirements, however, are different from a requirement that a contractor employ union workers or hire exclusively from Cape May County or New Jersey.

No information available Monday indicated that Ogren or any subcontractor had been cited for violating prevailing-wage requirements on the Cape May project.

The dispute, based on the information currently available, centers on the protesters' contention that more of the taxpayer-funded construction work should be going to local or New Jersey tradespeople.

Cape May's First Standalone Police Headquarters

The construction project represents a major change for the Cape May Police Department.

The department currently operates from space in Cape May City Hall as well as a substation in neighboring West Cape May. The new building will bring the department together under one roof for the first time.

Plans call for improved public access, upgraded technology, enhanced training areas and other features intended to meet the department's long-term needs.

The project took years to reach construction.

Before work could proceed, Cape May had to navigate a land-diversion process involving property protected under the state's Green Acres program. The State House Commission approved the city's proposal in 2025, clearing a significant hurdle for construction.

City officials broke ground on the headquarters in November 2025.

At the ceremony, Police Chief Dekon Fashaw thanked residents for supporting the project and acknowledged the public money being spent to construct the facility.

Questions Remain After Protest

Monday's demonstration introduces a new issue for a project that is already well into construction.

South Jersey NewsBeat has not independently verified the protesters' assertion that workers are being brought in from outside New Jersey, and information identifying the workers, their employers or their states of residence was not immediately available.

No response from Ogren Construction to the demonstrators' claims was available Monday.

The distinction will be important as more information emerges. A disagreement over using nonlocal or nonunion labor would be different from an allegation that a contractor violated prevailing-wage or other labor requirements.

For now, construction on the $8.6 million police headquarters continues, with completion scheduled for next spring.

South Jersey NewsBeat will update this story as additional information becomes available about the unions involved, the contractors or subcontractors at issue and any response from Ogren Construction or Cape May officials.