Developer accused of outsourcing construction workers

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Construction workers in the South Bay are accusing a developer of squeezing them out of a major project because it's cheaper to hire employees from outside the Bay Area.

"What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now," protestors chanted.

The voices of plumbers and pipefitters filled the air near the One South Market Project in downtown San Jose.

Union leaders say the developer hired a firm that's contracted with lower-paid employees from the Central Valley.

"So there's local people who are taxpayers here, who are the soccer moms and dads of the community and they were not given a chance to work on that job and we don't think that's right. This is where we live, this is where we work," Plumbers and Pipefitters Union spokesperson Bill Guthrie said.

Local veterans also say hiring out-of-town workers displaces South Bay Iraq and Afghanistan vets from well-paying jobs.

The developer Essex Real Estate trust hasn't responded to ABC7 News' request to comment on the accusations.