Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - May 9, 1981, Winnipeg, Manitoba 1_2 Winnipeg free press. Saturday May 9. 1981 credit Union Mastercard by James standing in a bid to keep Pace with rapidly changing demands of members he Canadian credit Union movement will soon move into the credit card Field George s. May of Toronto chief executive officer of the Canadian Coop Ergative credit society limited said Here yesterday. Speaking to the annual meeting at the Winnipeg inn May said the proposal has been under study for two years by the National association and a decision has been made to launch a Pilot program by joining the Mastercard system in Alberta and Saskatchewan next Spring or summer. Mastercard is the new name for master charge. He said million has been set aside for starting the program and it is expected to expand to other provinces soon after and reach the financial break even Point by the end of the fifth year of operation. To initiate the Pilot project the Canadian co operative credit society has formed a subsidiary called credit Union transaction card inc. The Mastercard program will emphasize support for individual Provin Cial credit Union centrals or groups of centrals in pursuing the priorities of their member credit unions May said. As part of studies now continuing the Alberta and Saskatchewan credit Union centrals Are looking at methods of card service delivery that can meet the needs of individual members and which Are compatible with the development of new payment systems. May noted that the opposing forces inherent in a troubled Economy and in More intensely competitive Market places have demanded unique responses on the part of organizations which wish to maintain their Vitali in an interview. May expanded on the credit Union group s plans for master card it will have some unique Fea Tures in that the local credit Union will retain its autonomy and each will set the terms and conditions which will apply to the card s use by its individual members. However we will try to centralize the operational and administrative supports necessary for the pro Gram s functioning. It has been a real Challenge to seek ways to fit the credit Union movement s decentralized Struc Ture with its heavy emphasis on the importance of the individual unit into a coordinated Mastercard the move to the credit card he said is being made necessary by the very Strong Competition we re getting from the chartered credit unions generally Are responding Well to the increasing Competition but More in tense Effort is needed to maintain of and Vance the credit Union Market position he said. But in Many instances we re doing very Well. We re addressing our minds and resources now to meet ing the needs of the Short term fun another innovative move which he sees As becoming a trend for credit Union activity is in the Field of provid ing a Range of services to Small businesses. Before we were mainly concerned with serving the needs of individuals and families. Now credit unions have the financial resources staff and services to help meet the needs of Small May said. The current economic turmoil he said makes today a time for most credit unions to continue to consolidate hey position. It s a time to do what we do Well and not a time to move into a whole Host of new areas of Active some credit unions have however been venturing into new types of Mort Gage lending activities such As a graduated payment system which sees lower premiums in the first few years and gradually escalating Over the mortgage term. Another venture he said in the interview has been making mortgages which can be adjusted up or Down every six or 12 months in keeping with the general Money Market interest Rale at the looking to the near future May said the Canadian Economy should be show George May Challenge. Ing More stability by 1983 and there will be less inflation and lower interest rates. But next year a lot of Home mortgages will be coming up for renew Al and there is some reasonable expectation the government in its hous ing policy and lending institutions will have to look at interest rate subsidy programs. That whole area is being urgently explored with government he said. Co Ops welcomed in third world Security in jobs worries teachers across Canada May Day has just passed and round the world celebrations of the Labouring class have marked the Day. The Ontario English Catholic teach ers association marked the Day in its own Way a week or so before May 1 with a three Day forum on collective bargaining. The event was appropriate in that this group of teachers is in negotiation right now with a variety of trustees for its next contract which is due to begin september 1, 1981. Teachers everywhere Are in a difficult position in that negotiations Centre not just around wages but Job Security As Well. Increasingly As the school rooms of the nation Are depopulated teachers and school boards find them selves at opposite ends of the opinion spectrum. Teachers see in the present situation a perfect Opportunity for More specialists and smaller classes governments see in the present Situa Tion a perfect Opportunity to Cut costs. Somewhere Between these two extremes lies a solution but Only if there is a common desire to solve the prob Lem equitably. The biggest difficulty today in collective bargaining in every sector in can Ada is that the Economy is struggling not la contract. This is in Sharp con Trast to the bargaining environment during most of the 60s and Early 70s, when the Economy was growing so quickly that it was More profitable for business in the private sector to Settle fast and High than to risk a production cutback for even a few Days. Dian Cohen cation where population during the decade of the 60s was increasing across the country on the average of 20 per cent and our output of real goods and services More than doubled our expenditure on education grew 400 per cent. What a contrast for the bar gainers around the table today. Population is expanding but at a slower rate particular among youngsters in schools Gross National product Gnu is barely one or two per cent higher each year and education expenditures by governments Are being trimmed almost daily. It is in this environment in Antici pation of Public school enrolment actually declining for at least the next five years and hundreds of thousands of classrooms across the country being in surplus school school teach ers bargain for their incomes for their jobs. Broaden discussion capitalists and communists Are hav ing Tough sledding in Many under developed countries unwilling to accept those institutions and philosophies but co operatives Are making great head Way John j. Nicholson president of he world Council of credit unions said this week in an interview. In some countries the co operative spirit has recently caught on like wild fire he added. The Canadian co operative move ment is taking a major Lead in further ing acceptance of producer and con Sumer co Ops and credit unions from Africa to Southeast he said. That s partly because canadians have been exceedingly generous on a per capita basis in providing both financial assistance and leadership training. An other key Factor in the substantial Canadian Impact is that residents of this country Are generally perceived overseas As being very altruistic much More so than co operative movement people in most other canadians he said also have the advantage of an informality in relationships with other people that is very much a distinct advantage when dealing with people in an under Deve loped country and it is no drawback either in dealing with super sophisticated groups. Although we re noted for being relaxed we Aren t viewed As country bumpkins the input Canada is having through its assistance programs to co opera Tives abroad is considerable and it is paying substantially higher human dividends than could be achieved through Cash contributions. You can use for eign Aid dollars to buy a Man a fish and he can eat it for a Day. But through co operative training assistance you can teach him better ways of fishing and he can cat for a Nichol son said. He is the first Canadian to head the world Council of credit unions and is a professor of sociology at the Cape Bre ton College of St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. He said both English speaking and French speaking Canadian co opera Tives Are proving their dedication to improving the Way of life in under developed countries. Canadians Are committed to the concept of fostering a people movement helping others find opportunities for their own personal development and enrichment. We All recognize there is so much to be done so Little time in which to do it. And so few financial he said. The More co operatives can help the third world countries the More those nations can then be Able to help themselves further and therefore have a belter Chance to find the solution of their problems and become masters of their own shuffling assets in an environment in which basically what we re doing is shuffling our assets from one group to another As opposed to creating More assets and dividing them Between such magnanimous and expansive gestures As settling fast and High Are few and far Between. Public sector bargaining is a special Case during the Golden Era of the 60s and Early 70s, with tax Revenue pouring into every government coffer politicians had a Field Day ensuring that the Public Domain got its share of the affluence. Social amenities flowered Universal Hospital and medical care came into being a vastly expanded unemployment insurance and family allowance scheme and of course Edu what is appropriate for the negotiating table in these circumstances is a broadening of the discussion not just wages and fringe benefits but whether education policies should not be broadened to include smaller classes More specialized programs Nursery age classes Day care adult education recreational classes business and Industrial education. It is also necessary to establish a procedure to Deal with the fact that Canada now has More teachers than it needs. Right now the problem is dealt with on a last in first out basis. That May be equitable on seniority grounds but it often leads to situations in which teachers who Haven t taught a particular course in 30 years suddenly have to hone up on it because a Youn specialist has been Laid off. These Are difficult problems. And these Are difficult times. The Only Way we re going to come out of it relatively unscathed is to look for new and Crea Tive solutions together. What do the Winnipeg Arena old Market Square the Winnipeg stadium and Bill Brown s place have in common Capitol Concrete take a drive around the City and you la notice the foundations that Capitol Concrete has built since 1958. Capitol is a pacesetter in its Field with an innovative record in Industrial structural and architectural Concrete we at Capitol Are firm believers in our motto to provide the finest Quality in workmanship and service to All our customers. We stand on our record of past achievements. No customer is too big or too Small our special residential division handles the smaller jobs Concrete to interlocking Stone driveways or patios. The professional answer to All your Concrete needs. Call Capitol for your free written estimate 775-2433 Lafr mailing address 1246 Wolseley Avenue. Winnipeg count on air Canada air express today. Only air Canada air express offers you next Day delivery to most Canadian cities and service to 10 major . Centres More than any Oiler Canadian air cargo service seven Days 5 week service free pick up and delivery business Days or Airport counter service seven Days a week. Unlimited shipment size. Any number of items. Various payment options prepaid collect. C.o.d., credit card Cash and credit account Billing. Note this number for High priority service 786-6624 air Canada air express the senior service air Canada cargo ;