Micron Taiwan is facing a potential strike as worker support for labor action continues to grow. According to local reports, a preliminary survey found that 80% of employees involved backed a walkout, with the company’s labor union demanding that the existing bonus system be replaced with a profit-sharing scheme similar to the one offered at SK hynix.
The push comes as memory chipmakers ride a wave of AI-driven demand. Micron, along with Samsung and SK hynix, has seen strong profits during the ongoing memory chip shortage fueled by data center growth, and its workers now want a larger share of those gains.
What the Union Is Demanding
Labor representatives argue that competitors offer far more generous profit-based payouts. According to industry analyst Dan Nystedt, Samsung distributes 10.5% of profits to workers, while SK hynix pays out 10%. The union wants Micron to adopt a comparable profit-sharing model rather than its current bonus structure.
Under Taiwan law, formal mediation talks are a mandatory step before an official strike vote can be held. Those talks are expected to begin by mid-September at the latest, setting the stage for negotiations between the company and its workforce.
A Precedent Set by Samsung and SK hynix
Earlier in 2026, Samsung narrowly avoided a strike after agreeing to a deal that gave foundry workers bonuses reaching as high as EUR 343,554 per employee. Micron Taiwan’s union appears to be following that example, particularly given the company’s recent financial results. In its latest earnings call, Micron reported revenue of EUR 36 billion and net income of EUR 24 billion. Its Cloud Memory Business Unit, which supplies high-bandwidth memory (HBM) to data center customers, accounted for more than 33% of total revenue.
Global Production at Stake
Roughly 60% of Micron’s global production capacity is centered on Taiwan, with most of its HBM output coming from facilities on the island. That concentration gives the workforce significant leverage, as any production disruption could translate into major losses for the company.
It remains unclear whether Micron workers in other regions would be affected by a deal reached in Taiwan. A localized agreement could also create friction among employees elsewhere who would not benefit from the same terms, a dynamic already seen following Samsung’s recently closed labor deal. With both sides set to begin talks in September, the outcome of the negotiations is still undecided.
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Image: tomshardware.com
