featherbedding

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feath·er·bed·ding

(fĕth′ər-bĕd′ĭng)

1. The hiring of more workers than necessary or the limiting of worker productivity in order to allow employment of more persons, usually as a result of a union contract with an employer.

2. The paying for services that are not actually performed, as in a union-imposed fee upon an employer.

feath′er·bed′ v. & adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

featherbedding

(ˈfɛðəˌbɛdɪŋ)

(Industrial Relations & HR Terms) the practice of limiting production, duplicating work, or overmanning, esp in accordance with a union contract, in order to prevent redundancies or create jobs

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

feath•er•bed•ding

(ˈfɛð ərˌbɛd ɪŋ)

n.

the practice by some unions of requiring an employer to hire more employees than are necessary or to limit production according to a union rule or a safety statute.

[1920–25]

feath′er•bed`, v.i., v.t. -bed•ded, -bed•ding.

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Noun

featherbedding - the practice (usually by a labor union) of requiring an employer to hire more workers than are required

practice, pattern - a customary way of operation or behavior; "it is their practice to give annual raises"; "they changed their dietary pattern"

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If bluecollar, labor union featherbedding has mostly been stamped out, white-collar featherbedding in government and private sector corporations seemingly goes on, even in recessionary times, though perhaps on a diminished scale.