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Union mourns SRP pioneer
posted: January 5, 2005 Minnie Wheeler, a unionist for decades and former president of the Hempstead Teaching Assistants Association, was killed Dec. 22, when she was struck by a car after leaving a Hempstead school board meeting. Beyond her Nassau County local union and community, Wheeler served her statewide union, New York State United Teachers, in many capacities. "Minnie often said that union membership is a two-way street," said NYSUT President Tom Hobart. "As the first School-Related Professionals representative on NYSUT's Executive Committee, she pushed for the statewide union to provide more services to SRPs, and for support staff to become more involved in their union. She lived that example, being one of the first to sign up to be trained in providing professional development to other SRP members. We are all better off for her efforts." Wheeler was elected to the NYSUT Board of Directors in 1998 and appointed to the Executive Committee in 1999. She held both positions until her retirement in 2001. She served on the union's SRP Advisory Committee. In interviews, she expressed her pride in the union's work advocating for the State Education Department to clarify regulations on teaching assistant certification portability. She served on the statewide union's SRP Task Force, Task Force on Minority Involvement in Locals, Policy Council and the Elementary Subject Area Committee. She was trained in the union's organizing institute and the SRP Professional Development Program. She was a fervent participant in NYSUT lobbying days. The HTAA was one of the first SRP locals to contribute to VOTE-COPE, the union's voluntary political action fund. Nationally, Wheeler participated in American Federation of Teachers professional development programs. Minnie leaves her husband of 59 years, William; her children Cameron, Derek and Scott and his wife, Marianne; two brothers, three beloved grandchildren; one great-grandchild; nieces and nephews and many others in the union family. |
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