Minneapolis

Harrison's full-time job is as a security officer at the court house in Minneapolis, across the street from the jail. Like most of his fellow security officers, he works his scheduled 40 hours each week, he works as much overtime as he is able. When asked if the extra hours they work are mandatory overtime, he responded, "Well, if by 'mandatory overtime' you mean do the companies insist that we work those hours, then no." He went on to explain that for most officers, the overtime is mandatory...if they want to make ends meet each month.

Harrison has worked in security services for 22 years. When he was a student, he appreciated the opportunity to do security work, because there was always a night shift available, and it was a great way to pick up some cash in the hours he wasn't studying. But a career in security is not one that can support a family. And as for retirement savings, Harrison says, "You'll never retire from security."

In March 2008, as SEIU Local 26 was locked in a bargaining battle over affordable healthcare and wages, Harrison and nine fellow private security officers were arrested alongside community and religious allies in an act of civil disobedience.

For Harrison, who grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, this is the Civil Rights Movement that he used to think he was born too late to fight in. His three children are grown and out on their own now; when they were growing up, he made ends meet and by working overtime and taking as many side projects and contract jobs as he could manage.

Harrison talks about his friend and fellow officer Howard, who has three young kids at home. Until their recent contract victory, there were weeks where Howard could either put food on the table every night, or pay for a sick child to see the doctor, but not both.

After the civil disobedience, the officers won a contract that included 25-32% wage increases and affordable healthcare for them and their families. Harrison sees the new contact as a huge step in the right direction; "We're not yet at what I would call a livable wage, but now it's enough to get by--it's enough to keep people from having to make that horrible choice" that Howard used to make between healthcare and food for his family.