WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, IW Features, the storytelling platform of Independent Women’s Forum (IWF), announced the release of its newest documentary, which highlights middle school special education teacher Karin Majewski. Majewski took a stand against the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) and helped public school teachers and support staff learn about union alternatives.
Majewski began her teaching career in the Bucks County, Pa., public school district over a decade ago and joined the union during her first year as a teacher. Majewski told IW Features that she never needed the union or ran into issues with them.
In 2020, however, she learned about the union’s politics when a friend shared a statement that the PSEA sent out on behalf of its 178,000 members—Majewski included–expressing support for legislation that would require all public school employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Majewski said she reached a “breaking point” when she also discovered that the National Education Association (NEA), the PSEA’s national counterpart, heavily supported the integration of critical race theory (CRT) into every classroom in America.
“I felt so out of control,” Majewski told IW Features. “I didn’t agree with what was going on, but I couldn’t do anything about it except control what my money was funding.”
Majewski’s friend referred her to the Freedom Foundation, an organization that seeks to free public employees from political exploitation. She worked with their team to craft her union exit strategy. It was then that she was first informed about her “Janus rights,” which were established in a 2018 Supreme Court case.
Prior to the decision, public employees were forced to either financially support their union or lose their jobs—even if they disagreed with how their dues were being spent. Thanks to Janus v. AFSCME, however, public school teachers such as Majewski are free to opt out of their teachers union—although, according to Majewski, many teachers are unaware of this.
Ashley McClure, the IW Features Assistant at Independent Women’s Forum and co-producer of the documentary, said: “Teachers shouldn’t feel coerced into financially supporting organizations that put teacher and student welfare behind politics. Yet, research shows that most public school teachers believe they’ll be penalized for leaving their union. Karin Majewski’s story is proof that you can leave your union, keep your job, and support organizations that align with your beliefs.”
Karin Majewski’s documentary can be watched here.