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Post Office employees are fighting back against a proposal to allow people to “opt out” from receiving bulk mail.
On Monday, the Spokane City Council rejected a non-binding resolution asking the state Legislature to create a registry that would allow people to decline bulk mail.
Spokane Postmaster Karen Fairlee and several postal workers testified against the idea, as did a few owners of local print shops.
“The business of mail impacts this community,” Fairlee said. “Do Not Mail is not as simple as it sounds.”
Locally, one-time City Council candidate Donna McKereghan has led the charge for the concept. In March, she asked county leaders to endorse the idea. Supporters say that junk mail generates significant waste and that little of it is recycled, especially in Spokane, which does not offer bulk mail recycling at the curb as part of regular trash service. (The city does offer curbside mixed paper recycling, including for bulk mail, for an extra fee.)
McKereghan told the council Monday that Do Not Mail is about consumer choice.
“That’s what capitalism is all about,” she said.
Letter carriers argued that the idea would hurt the already struggling postal service as well as businesses that depend on mail marketing.
“We’re talking about a lot of jobs, not just postal service, but also in the private sector,” said Martin Mueller, branch president of the National Association of Letter Carriers.
The resolution was sponsored by Councilwoman Amber Waldref.
“I just hate to see that our postal service is attached to a model that surveys show that customers are not satisfied with,” Waldref said.
But the council solidly rejected the idea in a 1-6 vote. Only Waldref voted for it.
Waldref, who used bulk mail to advertise her candidacy for City Council last year, said in a brief interview that she would be OK if political campaign advertising had to comply with a Do-Not-Mail registry.
Councilman Steve Corker argued that bulk mail is especially important to older folks who haven’t adopted to technology and don’t use the Internet.
He added that bulk mail supports many jobs and is used by small businesses to generate customers.
“The reason I can’t support this proposal right now is because I’m one of those people over 40,” Corker said, adding: “I don’t think this is the time to send this message because of our economy.”
Jim Camden is a veteran political reporter for The Spokesman-Review.
Jonathan Brunt covers Spokane City Hall for The Spokesman-Review.
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No_Forked_Tongues on May 04 at 1:29 a.m.
Silver Fox Corker can have the plethora of my unsolicited AARP membership letters that I get and all the pizza discount coupons. I will use the OLD technology to drive up to Costco and get an inexpensive pie. Did Rushie or Snydee pontificate about losing all that rich organic ink and paper that would adorn their compost piles if we didnt get all that junk mail or do they save and use it to fuel their invironmental friendly Stanley Steamers?
I wonder if mayor “all I know is what I read in the newspaper” gets any worldly literary insight when she is shreading her junk mail or does she depend upon Madame Cloey for her no-ledge as to what the rest of the world is doing, Maybe “DILLIGAS” Fagan sends her his free and unfettered by intelligence mind meld newsletter directly from the planet Zerrbo?
So anything else newsworthy that went on in the several hours of wasted council time? Is Mary Franklin’s able but much lesser paid assistant stepping up to her record of tremendous amount of libelous emails and personal phone calls now she has taken a powder for the female needy great white north?
I’m waiting for when McGlaughlin contracts a bad case of conservative minority flip flop gout so that we dont have to hear about all the Alice in Wonderland events she portends that she just has to go to. Since she missed the tea party, I was gonna slip in a couple of bags of LIP-TON into her mail box. Caffiene free perhaps?
Alas ol poor mediocre attorney and fire branded, knob headed Joe Shogan of disparaged and challenged value village habadashery fame, whose “bringing hell” promise continues to be upstaged by a much grander and dangerous Hot headed media opponent by a Volcano in Iceland. Perhaps he finally took the Europeans advice to Iceland?.”Just CHILL OUT”.
Dazzeetrader11 on May 04 at 1:59 a.m.
Libs in paradise just met the real world. Waldref looked absolutely dumbstruck throughout the meeting….does this “girl” ever have a thought or a decent question?
At least Nancy asked some questions needing answers. Amber though…boy is she lucky Fagan is so….whatever it is…unlikeable? She hit the jackpot…or was it the stewpot…and now she has to boil in it every week. She doesn’t represent her area very well….or at least she keeps it hidden.
I watch online but I don’t remember seeing such a bunch of inept people making rules.
It’s a bit pitiful though to see the Union types telling the people to NOT abolish junk mail or else they won’t have enough work to sustain their jobs. Typical Union logic.” We don’t so much work but we get overpaid too much. Take our limited work away and we won’t have jobs!”… Yikes! DId they reallly say that? Yes..they did.
Snyder is worse. At least Rush knows when to stand down…Amber says nothing because she doesn’t know what to say…but Snyder…he’ll interrupt and yell at the people who pay his salary. He doesn’t seem bright enough to know he’s being inappropriate. His questions and retorts belie his limitations that are…bikes and trees. When he asked that lawyer about that new building…she gave him the answers..but he just blinked..obviously over his head to understand the land use issues. Sad indeed. I hope that building gets built. Spokane NEEDS some jobs and some hope. If the Council denies what the Hearing Examiner has already approved, they should all join hands and jump off that old bridge just north of City Hall…all shouting in unison….”weeeeeeee”…then maybe Spokane can find a decent Council.
No_Forked_Tongues on May 04 at 2:30 a.m.
Gosh Daisy.. I was listening to the wind storm, you know the one OUTSIDE of the Council Chambers for a change.
We should get Rushie and Snide-r those generator bicycles and let them power pedal them during the Council meetings in order to generate the electricity to keep the rest of the Council dim bulbs illuminated.
Was George McGrath our defacto 7th Council member in attendance? If it wasnt for him the combinded IQ of the Council would be lower than the temperature of the starting of this years Bloomsday race. I’m glad Georges watches the public pennies while the Council splurges our Dollars. Tough job, but someone has to do it. Since they dont.
Gmaof1 on May 04 at 7:04 a.m.
Funny Daisy.
In paragraph 3 of your comment you say that “Spokane NEEDS some jobs and some hope”, yet in paragraph 2 you criticize the people who actually went to the council meeting (in terrible weather conditions, no less) to speak with the council about an issue that puts their jobs (and potentially many other jobs) in jeapardy.
Hmmmmm.
vworkman on May 05 at 12:23 a.m.
There is already a choice to opt out of junk mail. But the truth is, most people actually look through the offers, then toss it out.
There was more Junk Science than Junk Mail presented.
Most people, who have curbside pickup, would not see a decrease in their utility bill if they eliminated all junk mail. They would pay the same. And, most people use coupons, so there is a value in advertising mail.
The registry proposal was poorly written. In the meantime, why not post the multiple websites on the city webpage where folks can already opt-out. Until we try the tools we have, there is no reason to complicate the issue further.