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Cheryl Williams, Unifor Local 114 member, accepted the 2026 Bud Jimmerfield Award at Unifor Canadian Council in Ottawa, recognizing a decade of work making Cascade Aerospace a safer place to work.
“Health and safety leadership is rarely one big moment. It is a thousand acts of persistence, and Cheryl Williams has strung together ten years of them,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
“Every worker who finishes their shift and goes home whole is the measure of that work. Thank you, Cheryl, for keeping prevention of workplace injury and illness at the top of the priority list where it belongs.”
The Bud Jimmerfield Award recognizes members who demonstrate an unwavering commitment to preventing workplace disease, injury and death. It is awarded annually to a Unifor member who has led by example and who works to make sure every worker goes home safe and healthy.
Bud Jimmerfield spent 31 years as a machinist, exposed every day to cancer-causing metalworking fluids. At 47, he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. When the compensation board denied his claim, Bud and his union fought back and won a landmark case that put toxic exposures in the national spotlight. Before he died at 49, he left workers a charge that Unifor has carried ever since: “Don’t mourn my death, fight for the living.” The union has presented the award in his name since 1999.
“Employers do not tighten up on prevention on their own. It takes members like Cheryl who know the law, keep good records and keep asking the question until it gets answered,” said Western Regional Director Gavin McGarrigle.
“That is how a workplace culture changes, and that is what she has built at Cascade.”
For the past 10 years, Cheryl has served as Co-Chair of both the Health and Safety Committee and the Policy Committee at Cascade Aerospace in Abbotsford, B.C. Nine years ago she brought North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week to the workplace, and has since built it into an annual campaign that has taken on mental health, ergonomics, jet fuel exposures, outdoor hazards, situational awareness and the right to refuse unsafe work.
“This award is a reminder that health and safety are not just about avoiding accidents, they’re about creating a culture where people feel valued, respected, and protected,” said Williams.
“They’re about creating a culture where people feel valued, respected, and protected. As I move forward, I will continue to champion safety, to be proactive, to be prepared.”
Cheryl’s recommendations to the company on safer working conditions, her detailed record-keeping on every health and safety concern and prevention initiative, and her role in workplace audits and investigations have kept the employer accountable and kept prevention front and centre. Her push for the right protective equipment, and the right fit for the worker wearing it, has made her a trusted advocate on the shop floor.
Among her most lasting contributions is a Safety Committee Reference Guide she developed, which became the basis for an in-house training course for Safety Committee members. That work has strengthened the knowledge and effectiveness of everyone who serves on the committee, and it will keep doing so long after any single term ends.
Cheryl’s dedication, leadership and genuine concern for her co-workers have made a lasting difference at Cascade Aerospace and across the wider safety community in Abbotsford.
