Rally at Pyeongtaek chip complex draws 40,000 union members in South Korea as U.S. university strikes persist and deals emerge
About 40,000 Samsung Electronics workers rallied at the company’s Pyeongtaek semiconductor complex, demanding changes to bonus policies and warning of an 18-day strike if talks fail. Union leaders say compensation lags rival SK Hynix and want the cap on performance bonuses removed, alongside greater transparency. Samsung said it will continue efforts to reach a swift agreement as its union, representing about 74,000 workers, presses for a larger share of profits. Samsung and SK Hynix together produce about two-thirds of the world’s memory chips, a key input for rapidly expanding AI infrastructure.
In the United States, 2,000 graduate student workers at Harvard University have been on strike since April 21, halting large portions of teaching and research while seeking higher pay and protections for international students, among other demands. At Illinois State University, about 350 AFSCME Local 1110 building, dining and grounds workers remain on strike in a third week over pay as talks stall and administrators cite financial pressures. Recent settlements elsewhere include a tentative agreement that averted a strike by 34,000 32BJ SEIU building service workers in New York City and a two-year deal ending a three-week walkout by 3,800 UFCW Local 7 members at JBS’s Greeley beef plant. Together, the actions show active bargaining and stoppages across technology, education and services.