Opinion ID: 595945
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Cards Objected to as Hearsay.

Text: 8 New Life also contends that the remaining 14 cards it has challenged were inadmissible under the hearsay rule because the signers did not testify at the hearing. We disagree. A card may be found valid although the person who signed it did not testify at a Board hearing. NLRB v. Howell Chevrolet Co., 204 F.2d 79, 85-86 (9th Cir.), aff'd, 346 U.S. 482 (1953). A card may be authenticated by witnesses who testify that the person actually signed the card or the person whose name appears on the card handed it to them. Id. In Howell Chevrolet, a union organizer gave an employee a card. Id. at 85. The employee handed the signed card back several hours later. Id. We held that the card was valid regardless of who signed it because the employee clearly adopted it as his own signature. Id. at 86. 9 Although the signers of fourteen of the cards did not individually authenticate their cards, the record demonstrates that their signatures were verified by persons who testified at the hearing. These persons either personally witnessed the employees sign an authorization card or received a signed card from an employee. 10 New Life contends that the cards are inadmissible because the circumstances surrounding this case indicate that the cards are not trustworthy. We disagree. Substantial evidence presented at the administrative hearing supports the finding of the Board that the testimony at the administrative hearing demonstrated that the Union representatives explained the purpose of the cards and did not coerce or intimidate New Life employees. 11