The voter turnout for Samsung Electronics' tentative 2026 wage and collective bargaining agreement surpassed 74% within a single day, fueling expectations of early approval. While strong cohesion among semiconductor (DS) division members has bolstered the case for passage, a deepening rift between unions over performance bonus disparities across business divisions is casting a shadow. Choi Seung-ho, head of the Samsung Group Cross-Company Union's Samsung Electronics chapter who led the joint bargaining group, declared he would face a confidence vote next month regardless of the outcome.
According to the Samsung Electronics chapter of the Samsung Group Cross-Company Union, as of 10:40 a.m. on Sunday, 42,551 union members had cast their ballots in the ratification vote, representing 74.27% of the 57,290 total eligible voters. Voting began at 2:12 p.m. the previous day, meaning less than 24 hours had passed.
The vote showed a steep upward trajectory from the start. Within roughly three hours of opening, more than 30,000 members had voted, surpassing the majority threshold. As of 8:25 p.m. that day, the Cross-Company Union's turnout stood at 66.16%, while the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), which formed the joint bargaining group together, registered a turnout of 69.15%. Unlike the typical pattern of union votes surging just before the deadline, this time cohesion was pronounced from the first day.
The vote closes at 10 a.m. on the 27th. For the tentative agreement to pass, a majority of eligible members must participate, and a majority of those participants must vote in favor.
◇ Memory Division Holds the Key… 'Nine-Tenths of the Way to Approval'
Industry observers point to the participation and approval rates of DS division members within the Cross-Company Union as the biggest variable in this vote. Approximately 80% of the Cross-Company Union's members are DS division employees, with the memory business unit accounting for the majority.
The tentative agreement includes the establishment of a "Special Management Performance Bonus" funded by 10.5% of semiconductor business performance, making the memory division effectively the direct beneficiary of what amounts to record-breaking improvements in compensation.
Analysts attribute the explosive turnout on the first day of voting largely to active participation from memory division members.
However, divisional differences remain a variable. Within the non-memory (foundry and System LSI) units, which continue to post losses, and the Device eXperience (DX) division covering mobile and home appliances, discontent over the performance bonus gap is growing. Under the tentative agreement, memory division employees could receive bonuses of up to around 600 million won, while non-memory employees are estimated to receive around 160 million won. The gap within the same company stretches to nearly four times.
◇ DX-Centered Donghaeng Union Grows to 10,000 Members but Has No Voting Rights
The Donghaeng Union, whose membership consists primarily of employees in the Device eXperience (DX) division including mobile, was excluded from voting rights this time around.
Although the Donghaeng Union expressed last-minute interest in participating and grew its membership from around 2,000 to over 12,000, it cannot take part in this vote. Having withdrawn from the joint bargaining group, it holds no voting rights.
The Cross-Company Union sent an official notice to the Donghaeng Union that day stating, "The Donghaeng Union was a participating union in the joint bargaining that launched in November last year, but on the 4th it notified its 'termination of participation' via official document, which the joint bargaining group received, thereby losing its status as a participating union in the joint bargaining group."
The notice further explained that since the tentative agreement was signed between management and the joint bargaining group on the 20th, voting rights are recognized only for unions that were part of the bargaining group as of the date of signing.
◇ Chairman Choi Seung-ho: "I Will Resign and Face a Confidence Vote if Rejected"
Just before voting began, Choi Seung-ho, chairman of the Samsung Electronics chapter of the Samsung Group Cross-Company Union, told members, "If (the tentative agreement) is rejected, I will conclude that I cannot satisfy the members," adding, "I will delegate the 2026 bargaining to the rest of the executive leadership and proceed with a confidence vote."
He also emphasized, "If the agreement is ratified, just as we have demanded improvements from management and raised issues, we will work to improve the areas that need improvement," and "We will further build the organization and make it a better union."
He added, "The union must follow the will of its members," and "I will not change my direction."
The voting results will be announced on the morning of the 27th. If rejected, labor and management will have to return to the negotiating table, and the prospect of a general strike is likely to resurface. Even if the agreement is ratified, the prevailing view is that the inter-union friction among the memory, non-memory, and DX divisions will not be smoothed over for some time.
