featherbedding

American  

[feth-er-bed-ing] / ˈfɛð ərˌbɛd ɪŋ /

noun

1. the practice of requiring an employer to hire unnecessary employees, to assign unnecessary work, or to limit production according to a union rule or safety statute.

   Featherbedding forced the railroads to employ firemen on diesel locomotives.

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featherbedding British  

/ ˈfɛðəˌbɛdɪŋ /

noun

1. the practice of limiting production, duplicating work, or overmanning, esp in accordance with a union contract, in order to prevent redundancies or create jobs

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featherbedding Cultural  

1. The practice of forcing an employer to hire more workers than are needed for a job.

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Etymology

Origin of featherbedding

First recorded in 1920–25; feather + bedding

Example Sentences

This full-employment plan for kooks and hucksters gives new meaning to featherbedding.

From Washington Post

Policies that protect U.S. jobs at a cost of featherbedding and inefficiency are a mistake.

From Washington Post

We can certainly find lots of instances of journalistic corruption -- fake quotes, fabricated stories, featherbedding etc.

From Fox News

But when asked if he was exposed to birds, or slept on featherbedding, the man said yes to the latter.

From Fox News

Union featherbedding and rigid work rules have been real problems.

From New York Times