Section 102.61(a)(8) of the National Labor Relations Board’s rules requires that a certification petition “shall contain a statement that the employer declines to recognize the petitioner as the representative within the meaning of Section 9(a) of the Act or that the labor organization is currently recognized but desires certification under the Act.” The NLRB’s standard…

People who practice traditional labor law, like me, are used to throwing around a lot of numbers and letters as short hand when talking shop. For example, we like to know whether it’s a 9(a) union or an 8(f) contract. Management lawyers like myself are used to unions filing 8(a) unfair labor practice charges, and we’re…