Trending Now - Samsung Chip Workers Secure $340K Bonuses Amid Backlash

WHO:

The Verge - Samsung Electronics Co. and its semiconductor employees, including union leaders.

Bloomberg Markets - Samsung's largest union.

WHAT:

The Verge - Samsung negotiated a tentative deal that makes some semiconductor workers eligible for average annual bonuses of $340,000.

The Verge - Under the new deal, all chip workers will receive 50 percent of their annual salary as a regular cash bonus.

The Verge - Samsung will allocate 10.5 percent of its annual operating profits for stock-based bonuses to semiconductor employees.

The Verge - A memory chip worker with a base salary of around $50,000 could be eligible for a total bonus of $416,000.

Bloomberg Markets - The deal was reached to share more profits from the AI boom and to avoid a potentially catastrophic strike.

WHERE:

The Verge - South Korea, where Samsung is the largest company and accounts for around a quarter of the country's exports.

WHEN:

The Verge - The deal still needs to be voted on by the union’s members.

WHY:

The Verge - The negotiations were prompted by a proposed 18-day strike due to Samsung’s bonus cap for semiconductor employees and the rising bonuses at SK Hynix, a competitor.

HOW:

The Verge - The final deal distributes 40 percent of the total stock bonus pot across the entire semiconductor division, with the remainder specifically for the memory chip unit.

(UPDATED May 22, 2026 17:38 UTC)

Samsung Electronics has negotiated a tentative deal that could make semiconductor workers eligible for average annual bonuses of $340,000, with all chip workers set to receive 50 percent of their annual salary as a regular cash bonus. The agreement, which aims to share profits from the AI boom and prevent a potentially catastrophic strike, will allocate 10.5 percent of Samsung's annual operating profits for stock-based bonuses to semiconductor employees, allowing a memory chip worker with a base salary of around $50,000 to potentially earn a total bonus of $416,000. This deal still requires a vote from the union’s members before it can be finalized.