Main Cabin Door: October Update

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Previous updates can be accessed by clicking on the links below:

June Update

August Update

Since our last update on the monitoring and assessing the Main Cabin Door concerns, we wanted to provide you with further information on the steps the union has taken to stay actively engaged on the MCD issues.  

Union Actions to Date

  • Maintained regular communication—both in-person, virtual, and via email—with base leaders, labour relations, health and safety advisors, and Unifor representatives to advocate for members’ health and safety.
  • Consulted with our Unifor National Health and Safety Representative for additional guidance.
  • Reviewed the Hazard Assessment Report, Job Hazard Analysis, and Physical Demands Analysis, providing feedback to the company for further consideration.
  • Influenced a change in the ALC training program to reduce repetitive strain. ALCs now only demonstrate the MCD twice—once with the cable in and once without. If additional demonstrations are required, a second training session must be scheduled, significantly reducing strain and IHR submissions.
  • The President directed all three OHS Committees to include MCD as a standing agenda item and review it frequently. Unit Chairs were instructed to stay in communication with their committees and report back to the President.
  • Attended the Corporate Policy Committee Meeting in August, emphasizing the importance of member safety and requesting regular company updates on report rates.
  • Met with Dave Powell, VP of Canadian Airports, in late August to review concerns, IHRs, injury reports, and lost time data, with a commitment to meet again as needed.
  • Conducted a full review of IHRs submitted between June 9 and September 11, 2025, to identify trends and base-specific issues.
  • Met with the Corporate OHS team and the YYZ OSH Co-Chair on September 15 to review all IHRs submitted between June 9 and August 31.

Incident Summary (June 9 – October 7, 2025)

Total IHRs submitted: 37 across three bases

  • YVR: 12 reports (last report July 11, near completion of training)
  • YYC: 23 reports
  • YYZ: 3 reports (training began mid-August)
  • Hazard reports: 3 total (2 from YVR, 1 from YYC) — no incidents associated with the reports

Reported injuries included strain, bruising, soreness, and one scaphoid injury, affecting wrists, hands, shoulders, backs, knuckles, and hips. Some members had pre-existing injuries or restrictions, which are not shared publicly for privacy.

Positive Trends

  • Following the training changes, IHR submissions decreased significantly: 6 reports in August, 3 in September and 1 currently in October versus 15 in July.
  • Union advocacy ensured that anyone medically unable to perform a demonstration can speak with their trainer or leader. ALCs have been instructed to communicate this clearly during training.

Ongoing Actions

  • Our President, Karen Berry has been working closely with WestJet corporate Health and Safety Managers to obtain updated IHR statistics on a monthly basis and will continue to do so for at least the remainder of the training sessions.  While Vancouver has completed their training, both Calgary and Toronto are actively still training members.
  • We are monitoring potential cold weather risks, such as extremely cold door handles, to ensure members’ safety during winter months and have asked the Corporate Health and Safety team to perform a risk assessment and have reached out the uniform team for glove information.
  • Our Unifor National Health and Safety Representative is preparing a comprehensive report to be presented at the next Policy Committee meeting by our President, Karen Berry in November. Preliminary findings and recommendations will be reviewed at the upcoming BC Regional Council meeting on October 22, 2025.
  • The YYC and YYZ Co-Chair's both attended a week long, intensive Occupational Health and Safety training session from Unifor's education department and are capable of managing questions and concerns in the workplace.  Some Occupational Health and Safety members in all our bases have also received a three day Health and Safety training course to support their work on the committees.  The union will be arranging further training when it becomes available from the National Union.  

Thank you for your continued dedication to ensuring a safe and healthy workplace. We will share further information with members as it becomes available.