Samsung $400,000 worker bonuses near approval after clearing legal challenge — non-chip employees in line for just $4,000 launch last-minute bid to scupper deal with union

Source: Tom’s Hardware

Image credit: Getty / JUNG YEON-JE

Court Ruling

A South Korean court on Tuesday dismissed an attempt by Samsung Electronics’ consumer‑electronics workers to block ratification of the company’s AI‑driven bonus deal, according to the Korea Herald. The Suwon District Court rejected an injunction filed by five employees from Samsung’s Device eXperience (DX) division, who argued they were unfairly excluded from the vote. Over 90 % of eligible members of the larger Samsung Electronics Labor Union (SELU) had already cast ballots by Tuesday morning.

The vote closes Wednesday and is widely expected to pass, since an estimated 80 %–90 % of the SELU’s 57,290 voting members work in Samsung’s semiconductor division, the primary beneficiary of the deal.

Bonus Deal Details

The government‑mediated agreement, struck last week to avert an 18‑day general strike by 48,000 workers, allocates 10.5 % of Samsung’s semiconductor division operating profit as stock‑based bonuses, plus an additional 1.5 % in cash. The program runs for 10 years, contingent on the division hitting aggressive annual operating‑profit targets of 200 trillion won ($132 billion) from 2026 to 2028 and 100 trillion won from 2029 to 2035.

• Projected bonus pool (2026): Based on Bloomberg’s projection of Samsung’s 2026 operating profit at roughly 330 trillion won (~$218 billion), the total bonus pool for the company’s 78,000 semiconductor employees would be about 40 trillion won ($26.6 billion)【source】(https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/big-tech/samsung-reportedly-set-to-distribute-up-to-usd26-6-billion-to-staff-in-ai-driven-semiconductor-bonuses-after-last-minute-union-deal-average-payouts-could-approach-usd400-000-per-chip-employee).

• Individual payouts:

  • Memory‑division workers: 600 million won ($400,000) each.
  • Workers in Samsung’s struggling foundry and logic chip design operations: substantially less but still significant sums.
  • DX division employees (non‑chip): 6 million won ($4,000) under the existing bonus structure, unchanged by the new deal.

Opposition to the Deal

While the court’s ruling removed the most immediate legal obstacle, opposition extends beyond the SELU:

• National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU): Represents roughly 20,000 members across chip and non‑chip divisions and is voting against the deal. NSEU official Lee Ho‑seok told Reuters that some foundry workers within Samsung’s chip division are also frustrated with the terms【source】(https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/samsungs-non-chip-union-files-injunction-bid-stop-vote-bonuses-media-reports-2026-05-26/).

• Shareholder Action: A group of individual shareholders has threatened to sue, arguing that the profit‑linked bonus scheme constitutes a distribution of company funds that requires a shareholder vote under South Korean commercial law. The Korea Shareholder Action Headquarters staged a rally near the Seoul residence of Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae‑yong, warning it would use all available legal avenues to block disbursement【source】(https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/big-tech/samsung-reportedly-set-to-distribute-up-to-usd26-6-billion-to-staff-in-ai-driven-semiconductor-bonuses-after-last-minute-union-deal-average-payouts-could-approach-usd400-000-per-chip-employee).

Operational Impact

The internal rift has already had operational consequences. Resentment over the bonus disparity has spread to Samsung’s chip‑packaging divisions, where intentional production slowdowns are disrupting HBM delivery schedules【source】(https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/samsungs-bonus-dispute-spreads-to-chip-packaging-divisions-threatening-hbm-delivery-schedules). CEO Jun Young‑hyun urged employees in an internal memo to move past the conflict.