Lean is designed to reduce the seven "deadly forms of waste"; defects, overproduction, over processing, wasted motion, inventory (work in process), transport/handling and waiting. Addressing any or all of these can help operations run more efficiently and therefore, be more competitive which is in the long-term best interest of job security. But, in my experience as a former union member and internal change agent and currently as an organizational change consultant, Lean implementation in union environments can be tricky.