FEATHERBEDDING Definition & Meaning

featherbedding

[feth-er-bed-ing]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

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.

featherbedding

/ ˈ��ɛðəˌ��ɛ��ɪŋ /

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

featherbedding

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

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First recorded in 1920–25; feather + bedding

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Examples have not been reviewed.

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

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

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

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

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Union featherbedding and rigid work rules have been real problems.

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