featherbedding love

Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

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

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb Present participle of featherbed.
  • noun US The employment of more workers than is necessary because of union rules, especially upon the introduction of new technology

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

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

Etymologies

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  • The practice of forcing the employer (by union rule, etc.) to hire more workers than needed (or to limit his workers' production). (From WordCraft)

    May 20, 2008