Micron Technology’s Taoyuan union in Taiwan said on Tuesday, 20 October, that it will hold a solidarity strike on Thursday, 22 October, Finimize reported. The announcement puts a date on action at a site that mainly produces DRAM, while a separate union at Micron’s Taichung operation approaches mediation, Sourceability reported on 19 October.
Key points
- The Taoyuan union says it will strike on 22 October.
- Its members authorised industrial action on 7 October, after mediation ended without a deal in September.
- The unions are seeking profit-sharing tied to 15% of Micron’s operating profit.
- The Taichung union is scheduled for a second mediation session on 22 October.
Taoyuan moves beyond its 7 October vote
On 7 October, 1,994 of the Taoyuan union’s 2,258 registered members voted to support industrial action — 88.3% of its membership, according to Sourceability. AI Affairs reported the strike authorisation at the time. The union’s earlier mediation with Micron had ended without an agreement in September.
The vote and the planned walkout are distinct steps. On 19 October, The Motley Fool reported that the union had set no strike date and had asked members to take that day off for a rally in Taipei, which the union said would not be a strike. The Taoyuan union now says workers will walk out on 22 October.
The scale of any production effect depends on what happens at the plant. Sourceability reported TrendForce’s assessment that the consequences for DRAM output would depend on how long a strike lasts, how many employees participate and Micron’s contingency measures.
The unions seek 15% of operating profit
The two Taiwan unions are seeking a profit-sharing system tied to 15% of Micron’s operating profit. Their demands include a one-off bonus for fiscal 2026 estimated at about 83 months of pay per Taiwan employee, followed by quarterly payments from fiscal 2027 under a revised performance programme.
Union chairman Lin Che-jui argues that existing performance rewards fail to reflect Micron’s financial performance. Workers have also raised concerns about differences between awards for corporate staff and those working in fabrication plants, according to Sourceability.
Micron chief executive Sanjay Mehrotra said in prepared remarks for the company’s 30 September earnings call that it had increased fiscal 2026 incentive pay for employees worldwide, The Motley Fool reported. Taiwan’s labour ministry urged Micron to offer “concrete, feasible proposals”, the publication reported.
Taichung’s mediation meets the 22 October strike
The dispute reaches beyond Taoyuan. Together, the Taoyuan and Taichung unions represent more than 80% of Micron’s workforce in Taiwan, Sourceability reported. The Taichung union represents workers at Micron’s biggest site in the country.
On 15 October, Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, called on Micron and its workers to negotiate at the opening of the company’s new Taichung plant, which packages and tests high-bandwidth memory for AI systems. AI Affairs covered Lai’s appeal.
The Taichung union is scheduled for its second mediation session with Micron on 22 October, Sourceability reported. If those negotiations fail, the union could face its own strike vote.
