Micron's Taiwan union wins strike vote by landslide, demands 15% profit share

The Taiwan union of US chipmaker Micron Technology has won an overwhelming vote in favor of a strike, as workers push for a share of 15 percent of the company's operating profit.

Micron's Taoyuan union held a press conference Wednesday afternoon and announced it had officially secured the right to strike following the membership ballot, according to Reuters and AFP.

Of the Taoyuan union's 2,258 members, 2,012 — or 89.1 percent — cast ballots, and 1,994 members, representing 83.3 percent of the total membership, voted in favor of a strike.

Only 14 votes were cast against and four were invalid, putting the approval rate among those who actually voted at nearly 99 percent.

The Taoyuan wafer union and the Taichung memory chip union urged Micron's board of directors, which is scheduled to meet Thursday and Friday (local time), to present concrete measures addressing the unions' demands.

The unions are calling on the company to establish a profit-sharing system under which 15 percent of operating profit would be distributed to employees.

They also said that major memory chip makers in South Korea — Samsung Electronics and SK hynix — already operate performance bonus systems tied to company profits and earnings.

The unions argued that even if Micron shared 15 percent of its operating profit with employees, the resulting bonuses might still fall short of what Samsung Electronics and SK hynix workers receive.

The Taoyuan union warned it would take further action if no concrete outcome emerges after the board meeting, with plans that include employees taking leave to join rallies. The Taichung union said negotiations with management are still ongoing.

Global semiconductor companies including Micron have seen their earnings jump amid a worldwide AI boom, fueling growing demands from workers for a share of the gains.

Micron reported record quarterly earnings late last month, announcing results for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2026 (June–August). Sales reached $54.23 billion and operating profit came in at $43.75 billion, surging 379.3 percent and 1,097.3 percent year-on-year, respectively.

At the time, Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said the company expected "even stronger performance in fiscal year 2027," projecting that its growth momentum would continue.

Micron guided for first-quarter fiscal 2027 sales of $61.5 billion and earnings per share of $38.15, both topping Wall Street analysts' estimates of $57 billion and $35.40, respectively.

"The semiconductor market in October is expected to enter a phase that once again confirms the structural fundamental shift heading into next year," said Baek Gil-hyeon, an analyst at Yuanta Securities Korea. "Solid real demand centered on AI data centers and the transition to next-generation architectures are expected to continue forming a strong floor for the semiconductor sector."