Wow. How sweet! We didn’t even know they cared. The Republican National Committee (RNC) has launched an e-Valentine’s Day card website where you can send a card, adorned with the faces of  people who certainly aren’t the RNC’s sweethearts  and carrying what passes for Republican humor messages.

Hundreds of union members and environmental activists will spend the day on Capitol Hill Thursday delivering one message to lawmakers: We must quickly put aside partisan bickering and make a long-term national commitment to create a green economy and make serious investments in infrastructure, education, research and development and manufacturing. 

The House leadership continues to show its “blatant lack of concern for American workers who have lost their jobs because of unfair trade deals,” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said today. In the latest bold move against working people, House leaders abruptly refused to schedule a vote yesterday on extending expiring Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) programs.

Thousands of labor, environmental, business and community representatives will discuss the best ways to build a sustainable economy that creates good green jobs across the country at the 2011 Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference Feb. 8–10 in Washington, D.C.

If you work for a living, then you expect to be paid what you are owed and on time. But if some members of Congress have their way, public employees will be denied the pensions they worked years to earn.

With some 280,000 jobs at stake in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill, you’d think Senate lawmakers would be working together to get those jobs in the pipeline as soon as possible. Not.

Check this out. Next week, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue will make a rare joint appearance to promote jobs legislation. They will appear Feb. 16 before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee at 10 a.m. to speak out on the need for quick action on a new jobs-creating transportation bill.

Creating new and good jobs is the most urgent task facing our nation’s leaders and Americans who are unemployed or whose wages are stagnating cannot afford to wait any longer. Until we fix the jobs crisis, economic growth and fiscal stability will be hard to achieve, AFL-CIO Policy Director Damon Silvers told a congressional hearing today.

Today, the U.S. Senate has the opportunity to tackle job creation head on when it takes up the reauthorization bill for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The bill includes $8 billion for airport construction and repair and some 280,000 jobs are at stake.

Barbara J. Easterling is president of the Alliance for Retired Americans. She was previously the secretary-treasurer of the Communications Workers of America. For more information, visit www.retiredamericans.org or
call 1-800-333-7212.

I believe there are two issues retirees should pay attention to in 2011.