Cheryl Williams

2026 Bud Jimmerfield Award recipient

For the past 10 years, Cheryl Williams, Local 114, has served as Co-Chair of both the Health and Safety Committee and the Policy Committee at Cascade Aerospace in Abbotsford, British Columbia.

Throughout that time, she has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to improving safety, educating her co-workers, and fostered a healthy and safe workplace. Nine years ago, Williams was instrumental in bringing North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week to Cascade Aerospace. She has since built it into an annual opportunity to raise awareness and engage workers directly in health and safety.

As Health and Safety Committee Co-Chair, Williams’ achievements include:

• Establishing NAOSH Week at Cascade Aerospace and sustaining it as an annual education and engagement campaign for nine consecutive years.
• Building NAOSH Week programming on mental health, ergonomics, jet fuel exposures, outdoor hazards, situational awareness, and the right to refuse unsafe work.
• Developing a Safety Committee Reference Guide, which was used to create an in-house training course for Safety Committee members.
• Bringing forward recommendations to the employer on improvements that create safer conditions for Cascade Aerospace workers.
• Maintaining accurate and comprehensive records of every health and safety concern and prevention initiative raised at the workplace.
• Participating in workplace audits and investigations, holding the company accountable and keeping prevention as the primary focus.
• Advocating for the right protective equipment for the job, and the right fit for the worker wearing it.
• Serving concurrently as Co-Chair of the Policy Committee, connecting day to day safety concerns to the policies that can prevent them.

The Safety Committee Reference Guide she developed strengthened the knowledge and effectiveness of her colleagues. Her passion for making sure workers have the protection they need has made her a valued and respected advocate on the floor.

Cheryl’s dedication, leadership and genuine concern for the safety and well-being of her colleagues have made a lasting difference at Cascade Aerospace and in the wider safety community in Abbotsford.

Who was Bud Jimmerfield?

Bud Jimmerfield was a tireless Health and Safety, Environment and Workers’ Compensation activist, not just at his workplace but at other workplaces and in communities from coast to coast.

Bud worked as a machinist for 31 years, exposed every working day to cancer-causing metalworking fluids at an auto parts plant in Amherstburg, Ontario. When Bud was diagnosed with esophageal cancer at the age of 47, the compensation board initially denied that his cancer was caused by exposure to metalworking fluids at his place of work. Bud and his union fought back, presenting evidence to an appeals board that agreed that Bud's cancer arose from workplace exposure. This appeal decision was ground-breaking and resulted in national attention on the effects of exposure to hazardous substances in the workplace.

It has been 25 years since Bud's death in January, 1997, 18 months after his diagnosis, at age 49, leaving behind his eight children and wife Diane.

Before he died, Bud charged union activists with an important responsibility “don’t mourn my death, fight for the living and do your best to try to prevent future occupational diseases, death and injuries from occurring.”

As Bud’s union, Unifor continues his legacy through activism and education. Since 1999, the union has presented outstanding health, safety and environment activists with the Bud Jimmerfield award.

Previous Recipients

• Robert Girard, Local 1937, 2024
• Dave Churchill, Local 28, 2023
• Marc Roussel, Local 219, 2022
• Ed Steers, Local 199, 2021
• Richard Clark, Local 697, 2020
• Karen Paton-Evans, UniFaith Community Chapter, 2020
• Todd Sleeper, Local 88, 2020
• Dave Stewart, Local 598, 2020
• Mark Bruce, Local 1996, 2020
• Angie Martz, Local 229, 2020
• Shirley Egan, Local 444, 2019
• Grant Truscott, Local 686-B, 2018
• Roger Haggerty, Local 592, 2017
• Emil Mesic, Local 707, 2016
• Susan Markus, Local 1859, 2012
• Nadia Anton-Collins, Local 707, 2010
• Gord Piper, Local 114, 2009
• Wayne Butler, Local 20, 2008
• Gary Parent, Local 444, 2007
• Dave Renaud, Local 222, 2006
• Jamie Wright, Local 88, 2005
• Karen Willsey, Local 2168, 2004
• Ken Bondy, Local 200, 2003
• Bob Bourrier, Local 100, 2002
• Dick Martin, Canadian Labour Congress, 2001
• Jim Mahon, Local 1520, 2001
• Hector McLellan, Local 27, 2000
• Jim Campbell, Local 195, 1999