FEATHERBEDDING Meaning and
Definition
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Featherbedding refers to the practice of providing unnecessary or excessive benefits, privileges, or employment protections to workers. It involves creating jobs or maintaining roles that are considered to be unnecessary, redundant, or overly specialized, often leading to inefficiency and added costs within a workplace.
This term is commonly used in the context of labor unions where workers negotiate agreements or contracts that result in additional benefits or protections that are deemed excessive or unwarranted. Featherbedding often includes provisions such as inflated wages, short work hours, or unjustifiable job assignments that result in a decrease in productivity and an increase in labor costs for employers.
The concept of featherbedding also aims to protect existing workers from competition or potential job losses, often through the use of restrictive practices, such as limitations on job duties or outsourcing, which restricts entry or advancement opportunities for other employees. As a result, featherbedding can impede innovation, hinder competition, and negatively impact economic growth and efficiency within industries.
This term can also be used more broadly to describe any situation where unnecessary or excessive benefits or protections are provided, resulting in inefficiencies or harm to an organization or industry. Featherbedding is often criticized for its negative impact on productivity, competitiveness, and overall economic performance.
Common Misspellings for FEATHERBEDDING
- deatherbedding
- ceatherbedding
- veatherbedding
- geatherbedding
- teatherbedding
- reatherbedding
- fwatherbedding
- fsatherbedding
- fdatherbedding
- fratherbedding
- f4atherbedding
- f3atherbedding
- feztherbedding
- festherbedding
- fewtherbedding
- feqtherbedding
- fearherbedding
- feafherbedding
- feagherbedding
- fetherbeddin
Etymology of FEATHERBEDDING
The word "featherbedding" originated in the United States, specifically in the labor and trade unions during the mid-20th century. It is a compound word formed by combining "feather" and "bedding". The figurative meaning behind the term comes from the literal concept of a feather bed, which traditionally refers to a mattress filled with down feathers.
In the context of labor unions, "featherbedding" refers to the practice of artificially creating or maintaining jobs and work opportunities to benefit workers, often at the expense of efficiency or productivity. This could include demanding the employment of unnecessary workers or imposing restrictive work conditions to guarantee more job opportunities. The term symbolically suggests that employees are being cushioned or overly protected in their positions, similar to the softness and comfort provided by a feather bed.
Similar spelling words for FEATHERBEDDING
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