Luckendy Benjamin is a youth minister in Dorchester. He also works as a security officer in a gleaming office tower in Boston. And every day he leaves this wealth and returns to his poverty-stricken neighborhood which reflects the prevalence of low wage jobs with no benefits like those which are found in the security industry.

When I heard that we could join SEIU 615, I felt relief and I told all my co-workers not to let this opportunity pass by, this is our moment. Let's make the best of it.

Betty McGuire works at a high-rise office building in downtown Boston. Like many security officers working in the city, Betty protects a multi-million dollar building and its tenants while earning very little herself. She has been with the security company for 3 years. During that time she has received one raise, bringing her hourly wage to $11.35.

We are not dogs, but human beings. We need to speak up together and from there our voices will be heard. Let's make noise about health insurance for our family. We deserve it. We need it and it is an imperative to fight for it. Together we will make it.

I feel trapped where I am for the foreseeable future: living check to check, my banking account always in negative, and hunting for change just to pay for public transportation or food. I believe that we can change those circumstances, as part of the union.

I have been working for two and a half year without any vacation. Because I have no vacation time, I have not been able to see my family and friends in Haiti for years.