Samsung Workers Hit 80% Turnout in High-Stakes Wage Vote

Translation resultVoting runs through 10 a.m. on the 27th; large DS-division share boosts odds that tentative agreement will passThe Samsung Electronics union’s vote on a tentative 2026 wages and collective bargaining agreement surpassed 80% turnout within a day of opening. On the 23rd, the Samsung Electronics branch of the Samsung Group cross-company union said that as of 5:13 p.m. some 45,914 members had cast ballots — 80.14% of the 57,290 eligible voters.The ballot will determine whether employees accept the tentative agreement negotiated between Samsung Electronics and its union. Voting remains open through 10 a.m. on the 27th.The cross-company union’s total membership was 70,850 as of the 21st. The roughly 13,000-person gap between total membership and the number of eligible voters reflects recent sign-ups and rules limiting voting rights: under union bylaws, members who have not paid dues for more than one month are barred from voting.The union is dominated by members from the DS (Device Solutions) division. Memory-division members number about 24,000, non-memory division members about 17,000, and common-division members about 22,000. The DX (Device Experience) division, centered on mobile and home appliances, accounts for roughly 7,000–8,000 members.The National Samsung Electronics Union (Jeonsamno) plans to report turnout separately at the joint-bargaining-group level. By contrast, the Donghaeng Union, which is concentrated in the DX division, withdrew from the joint bargaining group and is not participating in this vote.Industry observers say the tentative agreement stands a strong chance of passing because DS-division members make up roughly 80% of the electorate. For the tentative agreement to be finally approved, a majority of eligible voters must participate, and a majority of ballots cast must be in favor.