Micron's Taoyuan Union Begins 24-Hour Strike — Taiwan's First in Semiconductors

What happened

At 9 a.m. Thursday (Taiwan time), union workers at Micron's Taoyuan plant began a 24-hour walkout. Nikkei Asia reports it is the first-ever strike in Taiwan's semiconductor industry. The union says 1,994 members voted, with 99% backing the strike.

The trigger was a collapsed bonus negotiation. The union demands a one-time fiscal-2026 bonus worth about 83 months' salary, plus a permanent 15% share of quarterly operating profit starting fiscal 2027. It rejected Micron's September offer of up to 68 months' pay as a one-off with no long-term formula.

Micron's two Taiwan unions split: the Taichung union signed a collective bargaining agreement on October 21 and left the picket calendar, while talks with Taoyuan broke down the same evening. Micron says it remains "committed to constructive engagement."

Reactions

Taiwan's Ministry of Labor has urged Micron to table a workable proposal; President Lai Ching-te personally appealed for serious talks at the October 15 opening of Micron's second advanced assembly-and-testing facility in Taichung.

The union cites South Korean benchmarks: Samsung's memory union averted a walkout by tying bonuses to 10.5% of chip-division operating profit, and SK Hynix agreed to 10%, uncapped. Taoyuan is holding out for 15%.

No production disruption has been confirmed so far. Micron employs about 15,000 people in Taiwan and has invested more than NT$1.6 trillion (about US$49 billion) on the island.