Micron’s union in Taoyuan, Taiwan, has officially secured the right to strike after 88.3% of members backed a strike ballot. But no date for any walkout has been set.
The ballot ran from Oct. 1 to Oct. 6 and was organized by the Taiwan Micron Wafer Technology Enterprise Union in Taoyuan. The union said it had 2,258 registered members, and 2,012 ballots were cast, putting turnout at 89.1%. The final tally was 1,994 in favor, 14 opposed, and four invalid ballots. That was enough to pass the legal bar, which requires backing from more than half of all registered members, giving the union strike authorization and the legal right to set up picket lines.
Union says strike timing is still open
Union chairman Lin Zhe-Rui said at an Oct. 7 press conference that no strike date has been fixed. Once a schedule is confirmed, members will get text messages, and the union intends to stage a surprise strike so the company has no chance to prepare ahead of time.
Core demands focus on a 15% profit-sharing framework
The unions in Taoyuan and Taichung put forward four demands together. At the center of it: 15%.
- A one-time bonus outside Micron’s current IPP performance bonus system, calculated under a 15% global standard tied to FY2026 operating profit.
- A complete change to the IPP system starting in FY2027, shifting it to a 15% profit-sharing model and changing payouts from once a year to once every quarter.
- An anti-free-rider clause.
- An anti-retaliation clause.
On that first demand, the union estimated that employees in Taiwan could get about 83 additional months. It contrasted that with Micron’s Sept. 11 proposal, under which production-line employees in Taiwan would receive total compensation equal to roughly 35 to 68 months of salary. The report said the first number refers to an extra one-time bonus, while the second refers to total compensation, so they are not being measured on the same basis. Even so, the gap makes clear how far apart the two sides still are on profit-sharing scale.
Union cites Micron disclosures and past practice
Lin pointed to Micron’s public disclosures and said performance bonuses for Taiwan employees in 2025 came to about 2.6 months, while the chief executive officer’s annual cash performance award that same year was 32.4 months. He also said Micron had previously paid quarterly bonuses equal to 10% of net profit in 1995, adding, "If it was possible before, there is no reason it cannot be done now."
The report also said Taiwan represents more than 60% of Micron’s global production capacity. Micron recently reported fiscal 2026 fourth-quarter revenue of $54.23 billion, something the union sees as strengthening its hand in bargaining.
Next milestones include board meeting and labor actions
Micron’s board is set to meet on Oct. 8 and Oct. 9, U.S. time. Lin said he hopes the company will give a concrete response to the demands from the two Taiwan unions after that meeting. If talks do not go well, the union will discuss what to do next.
Separately, labor groups plan to gather on Ketagalan Boulevard on Oct. 19. The union marked that day as a recommended leave day and invited employees who are off work to join, while stressing that it is not a formal strike.
The Taichung plant has a separate union, and it has not yet won strike authorization. A second mediation session is scheduled for Oct. 22. Taichung union chairman Hsu Chih-Ming said that date will be a key moment for action at the Taichung site, and Lin has been invited to attend.
Micron has not issued a new response to the ballot result
After mediation collapsed on Sept. 21, Micron said it would "continue listening to team members’ views and respect their legal rights." As of the afternoon of Oct. 7, there had been no new company response to the ballot result.
So, for now, the Taoyuan union has the right to strike. The timing, though, is still up in the air.