BUSINESS Blain Deluxe credit honored by cards popular association By BRENDA DALGLISH Canadian Press a iL ne ocd ‘aR ay a ae a F bay oe Ta Joan Blain of Castlegar In a yuppie world of chocolate worth a dollar a bite and designer clothes for kids, it's no wonder that deluxe credit cards are popular. The real surprise is that, if you qualify, the premium cards can be a better deal than standard credit cards — they || Slocon Pork. Pre-cut or pick Columbia at its annual con- vention in Vancouver Oct. 2. On recommendation from AL) 40604805 Ay BIqQuIn|o> IST be. ¢ StzZS-S9E MOA 404 OUIOY O YHIM, (we1em 9981) ..018 10 W 1990., Bae had (oary) 00104 any ve Ouno, weydug peinpeus eo8y 80H JAD veder i 0.2.0 ‘vorBuysem wy Seunp BurAqqo, uaisaam © pevunes eve x rt aett E Fy PT er 38 rey se6eW 105 vew veg © uo peseg jeoureeys oosioues4 3 ie ae 8 i a af sg ‘yoy 'N WUBA 8 Bi § api rieeayeebe Sper eecabarpertecegstay Saheyery 23 ay ; b t 4 S3SN32I7 ONV JONVENSNI pue eunisord @ vem) 7 8TZS-S9E MOA 404 BUIOY © YIM, 01 '20q ‘Aopseupesy 0} yBnosy 9 "20q ‘Aopsinyy ( the Association's West Koot- awarded the J.J. Award of Merit in recog- nition of outstanding service and participation at the chapter level. The J.M. MacBeth Award of Merit. honors the first president of the association to be elected from outside the Lower Mainland. Blain is a member of the Certified General Accoun- tants Association of British Columbia. Incorporated in 1961, the Certified General Accountants Association of British Columbia is the prov ince's largest association of professional accountants with more than 6,500 mem bers and students. Blain is currently a partner in the firm of Moroso, Markin and Blain. AWARD WINNER . . . Castlegar accountant Joan Blain was recently honored by the Certified General Accountants of British Columbia. She was presented with an award in recognition of outstanding service and parti tion at the chapter level. Part-timers denied benefits TORONTO (CP) — The housewife who pitches in be. hind a department store counter to buy those little extras at Christmas is an ex ception. So is the middle class teenager who slings hamburgers after school. The rule is that Canada's 1.8 million part-time workers — the fastest-growing seg. ment of the labor force — need the money for essen. tials. Studies show part-timers are paid less, are denied ac cess to pensions and benefits, remain in low-skill jobs with little opportunity for prom otion, and are the first to be laid off. Take Cathleen Gustar, who has worked for the Ontario government for the past 39 years. When she retires, she will have only her savings and the basic federal pension At 53, Gustar says it’s only a matter of time before the physically demanding job of planting trees for the Min istry of Natural Resources in Orono forces her to quit “It’s too bad people have to work all these years and don't get to contribute to a pension plan,” Gustar says time workers are people like Gustar who need a job to make ends meet, says the Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women. The others may prefer the flexible hours, or want to keep their foot in the door of the job market while raising children. STATUS QUO ‘NORM’ The government hasn't moved to protect part-timers because of the complications it would raise, says Shirley Carr, president of the Cana dian Labor Congress. “The government doesn't mind because the govern ment sees the situation as the norm,” Carr says. Other unionists say the government puts too much credence in claims by groups like the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. Forcing employers to give benefits to part-time workers would be an unfair burden, and many companies would re-evaluate their need for part-time help, says Marsha Gordon, the chamber's vice- president of policy Carr argues this attitude shows business wants to keep part-timers weak and Employees who complain about working conditions, sexual harassment or wage levels risk having their hours drastically cut or eliminated, she says. More than half of the part time workers in Canada are women, and employers and co-workers assume they pre- fer part-time hours, says Anne Smart of the Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women. OTHER FACTORS But Smart says the situ ation is more complex. It in- volves day-care problems, an inflexible work ethic and lack of jobs available to unedu cated women. The United Food and Com mercial Workers has 40,000 part-time members across Canada, and is one of the few unions which has negotiated bargaining and benefit rights for part-timers. The union, which repre- sents workers in supermar- kets, packing plants and some restaurants, won pen- sions and some dental bene fits but is still trying to negotiate health and welfare and sick-leave clauses, says national president Clifford Evans. In British Columbia, the union's part-time workers are paid 50 cents an hour more than full-time employ. ees to help make up for the difference in benefit pack ages. A recent study by the Toronto consulting firm Hewitt Associates found 49 per cent of companies offer benefits and pensions to part time employees working at least 30 hours a week, but only 18 per cent make pen sions available to employees working less than 20 hours. And 46 per cent of em loyers reported hiring more part-time than full-time workers in the last five years. generally charge less on unpaid balances and offer extra |" °"" features. American Express pioneered the premium card more than 15 years ago with its gold card. “It was designed for the achiever, the person who had 226-7458 | \\ arrived to a certain degree,” says Bill White, Pp of premium cards for American Express Canada in Toronto. To quality for a gold card, a customer generally has to have an annual income of at least $40,000, he said. NOW, SUPER CARD But the company realized there was an even more desirable segment of the market that a super exclusive card would appeal to. Enter the platinum card. A platinum card holder must have had an American Express card for at least three years, have an “impeccable” payment record and use the card for a large volume of transactions — the company won't say just how large — each year. “It's exclusive, you can’t apply for it,” said White. “And to many people that's important.” The cost of that exclusivity is an annual fee of $250. The platinum card provides such extras as the use of a travel service that simplifies hotel and flight arrangements, access to a network of private business and athletic clubs around the world, and membership in a wine tasting society. PAY ON TIME Unlike other credit cards, all American Express cards require that the bill be paid in full on the receipt of each invoice. American Express is no longer alone in the field of catering to the upscale credit care user. Four of Canada's Big Five banks and the two largest trust companies have joined the premium credit card list. For the consumer, possibly the biggest advantage of these credit cards is that they generally carry much lower interest rates than the standard 18 per cent charged by VISA and 21 per cent charged by MasterCard. And it's well below the 28 per cent charged by some department stores. PICK ACARD Here are some of the premium cards available and a few of their features: Bank of Montreal gold MasterCard has an annual fee of $90, which includes personal chequing services that would otherwise cost almost the same amount. It comes with a minimum $5,000 line of credit. Any balances on the card that are not paid at the end of the billing period are transferred to the credit line and billed at a current interest rate of 11.75 per cent if they are secured by collateral or 12.50 per cent if unsecured. A bank spokesman said that to qualify for the card, an annual income of at least $35,000 for an individual or $50,000 for a copule is generally required Royal Bank premium VISA card is part of the bank's $18-a-month or $216-a-year VIP banking package. This includes a variety of banking services, no-fee renewals when mortgages expire, and a $5,000-plus line of credit. Rather than charging a fixed interest rate on outstanding balances, the Royal negotiates a rate with individual customers. HELP WANTED ADMINISTRATOR For 36 Bed L.T.C. Facility in Castlegar Applicant must be familiar with L.1.C. Program. Preterred applicant will have a minimum 2 years administrative experience or R.N. with 2 years recent experience in L.T.C. Salery: Commensurate with experience. Position: To take effect mid-February 1986. 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