General Electric Co. (GE) News

WASHINGTON, March 17 (UPI) -- British union leaders said they are discussing a show of solidarity with a U.S. union related to a planned strike by flight crew members at British Airways.

Officials of Unite in Britain have discussed the plight of BA flight crews with leaders of the Teamsters union. Leaders of the two unions were to meet in Washington Wednesday, The Times of London reported.

"A number of unions have contacted us offering help. Whatever form that help takes would be entirely up to the Teamsters," a Unite spokesman said.

Flight crews have voted to strike for seven days including a three-day work stoppage scheduled to begin Friday.

In advance of the meeting, the Teamsters said in a statement: "We stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters at Unite who are fighting for a fair contract at British Airways."

The Times said BA is faced with the possibility union members in the United States would refuse to refuel or clean BA aircraft during strikes, which include a four-day walkout scheduled to begin March 27.

BA said it was "sad to see Unite seeking backing from trade unions overseas."

OTTAWA, March 17 (UPI) -- Canadian wholesale sales posted the largest increase in three years in January, up 3 percent to $44.4 billion, Statistics Canada reported Wednesday.

While sales were up in all sectors, automotive products, building materials, machinery/electronic equipment and "other products" accounted for 80 percent of the growth, the agency said.

Sales in the automotive products sector grew by 4.8 percent to $7.8 billion in January and wholesale sales of building materials reached $6 billion.

"Sales in the 'other products' sector grew by 4.1 percent, largely due to a surge in sales of agricultural chemicals," StatsCan said, adding the machinery and electronic equipment sector posted a 2.6 percent increase.

Regionally, Saskatchewan posted the largest provincial gain in percentage terms with an increase of 18.4 percent, the report said.

TOKYO, March 17 (UPI) -- The Bank of Japan Wednesday said it would keep bank-to-bank lending rates low and expand a lending program to add liquidity to financial markets.

The central bank's policy makers said the lending rate for "uncollateralized" overnight lending would remain at 0.1 percent. The lending program begun in December "to further enhance easy monetary conditions" would be expanded, the bank said, "to encourage a decline in longer-term interest rates by substantially increasing the amount of funds to be provided through the fixed-rate operation."

The worry in Japan is not inflation, but deflation, a period of shrinking prices that stalls economic growth as consumers and business put off buying in hopes prices for goods on their shopping lists will decline if they wait. The BOJ called deflation "a critical challenge for Japan's economy."

The BOJ said the economy "is picking up mainly due to policy measures taken at home and abroad," a reference to stimulus measures in Europe and the United States, critical export markets for the Japan. "Exports and production have been increasing" with "improvement in overseas economies," the bank said. However, "there is not yet sufficient momentum to support a self-sustaining recovery in domestic private demand," a bank statement said.