Security guards turned heads in the Twin Cities last month when they won significantly reduced health care premiums in a new union contract.

It was the kind of union victory that has become increasingly rare in recent years, and came about as the result of a grassroots public relations effort that included a one-day strike, public demonstrations and the endorsement of local and national politicians.

What may be more surprising is that as of six years ago, the Service Employees International Union didn't represent any security guards nationally. Local 26, which has represented janitors in the Twin Cities for years, was the first SEIU chapter to successfully build a groundswell of interest in unionizing more than 800 private security officers, who signed their first contract in 2005.

The national union now includes security workers in at least six major cities, including Seattle and San Francisco. Group leadership claims SEIU recently became the largest union for private security guards in the country.

It's been a rapid rise for Local 26, and some members confidently predict that growth is only going to escalate.

Now that workers have agreed to a new five-year contract, Local 26 President Javier Morillo said the union will immediately make a concerted push to expand the borders of Minneapolis and St. Paul and reach out to private security guards within the seven-county metro area.