Micron Taoyuan 24-Hour Strike: Taiwan's First Semiconductor Walkout

What happened

The immediate trigger was the collapse of September mediation. Talks between the Taoyuan union and Micron ended in September without agreement; members authorized strike action in early October, and the union set Oct 22 — the day of Micron's mediation session with its Taichung union — as the strike date.

The vote was lopsided: 1,994 members voted for the strike, about 99% of ballots cast. The union wants a fiscal 2026 one-time bonus of about 83 months' salary plus a permanent 15% share of quarterly operating profit from fiscal 2027; Micron's September offer of up to 68 months' pay was rejected as a one-off that locked in no long-term formula.

The same day brought a split: on Oct 21, Micron signed a collective bargaining agreement with its Taichung union, taking that site off the strike calendar; but talks with the Taoyuan union collapsed that evening, and the 24-hour strike began as planned on the morning of the 22nd. Micron said it respected workers' legal rights and would continue negotiating with both unions in good faith.

Key facts

1. The strike began at 9 a.m. local time on Oct 22, planned for 24 hours
2. Strike vote: 1,994 voted yes, about 99% of ballots cast
3. Union demands: a fiscal 2026 one-time bonus of about 83 months' salary; a permanent 15% share of quarterly operating profit from fiscal 2027
4. Micron's offer: up to 68 months' pay proposed in September, rejected by the union as a one-off with no long-term formula
5. Taiwan footprint: Micron employs about 15,000 people in Taiwan, producing DRAM and high-bandwidth memory (HBM) used in AI servers
6. Korean precedent: Samsung's memory union ties bonuses to 10.5% of chip-division operating profit; SK Hynix agreed to 10% of annual operating profit