TSMC workers threaten Samsung-style strike over rumored bonus cuts despite record profits

[midian182]

A hot potato: After Samsung came within hours of a damaging chip worker strike, another semiconductor giant is facing its own bonus-related unrest. This time, it's TSMC, whose employees are reportedly discussing unionization and even strike action over rumors that the company could cut performance bonuses despite enjoying record profits from the AI boom.

The anger appears to have been sparked by claims that TSMC is considering reducing some employee payouts by as much as 15%, with staff arguing that the company is asking workers to help pay for its enormous expansion plans.

One report stated that the backlash was further inflamed by comments attributed to CEO C.C. Wei, who allegedly said bonuses were too high and could create a negative public perception, suggesting a 20% to 30% reduction.

TSMC has since tried to calm the situation, saying employee profit-sharing bonuses have not been reduced this year and that it expects bonus growth in 2026 to exceed last year's pace.

Also read: AMD eyes TSMC's A14 node for Zen 7, bringing angstrom-era chips to the data center

TSMC generated first-quarter revenue of NT$1.13 trillion ($35.9 billion) and net income of NT$572.48 billion ($18.2 billion), both company records. Net income rose 58.3% year-over-year, driven largely by relentless demand for advanced chips used in AI accelerators and high-performance computing.

Workers are questioning why their share of the AI revolution could shrink while TSMC is spending heavily on new fabs. The company is said to be building 12 plants across Taiwan, the US, Japan, and Germany as it races to maintain its lead in 2nm and 1.4nm manufacturing.

Samsung narrowly avoided an 18-day strike after reaching a last-minute deal with its union, which had been pushing for a larger and recurring share of semiconductor profits. Before that, Samsung chip workers rejected a one-time bonus worth around $340,000 per employee – they wanted it every year – arguing that SK Hynix had set a new standard by linking payouts more directly to profits.

– Reuters (@Reuters) April 23, 2026

TSMC doesn't have a union, which makes any strike threat much less straightforward. Reports of employees asking whether collective action is legal show how quickly Samsung's fight has become a template. The AI chip boom is making semiconductor companies richer than ever, and their workers are now asking why they can't be richer, too.

Permalink to story:

TSMC workers threaten Samsung-style strike over rumored bonus cuts despite record profits

 

[Win7user]

Freaking arrogant, entitled, Millennial's and Gen Z's. Welcome to the REAL WORLD.

 

[yRaz]

Freaking arrogant, entitled, Millennial's and Gen Z's. Welcome to the REAL WORLD.

Oh know, the people who control the means to production want a bigger piece of the pie as the world enters a global affordability crisis.

The fact of the matter is that if TSMC didn't need them then they wouldn't be able to shut the plants down. It seems like only in the US that fighting for a living wage and basic benefits is looked down on.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Freaking arrogant, entitled, Millennial's and Gen Z's. Welcome to the REAL WORLD.

Imagine corpo boot licking in 2026.

Boomer, corpos dont care about you and threw you away. Wake up.

Oh know, the people who control the means to production want a bigger piece of the pie as the world enters a global affordability crisis.

The fact of the matter is that if TSMC didn't need them then they wouldn't be able to shut the plants down. It seems like only in the US that fighting for a living wage and basic benefits is looked down on.

It's far from just a US issue. Unions and worker rights advocates receive tons of heat globally. The courts were fighting the Samsung union employees just a week ago.

 

[Squid Surprise]

Freaking arrogant, entitled, Millennial's and Gen Z's. Welcome to the REAL WORLD.

If and when it happens to you, you might understand... regardless of how much someone makes, they are going to get angry if there's a threat to lessen it. Simply human nature!

While someone making $30,000 a year getting a 30% cut would hurt... someone making $130,000 - or $130,000,000 - would hurt just as much! People tend to spend up to their means (and often beyond). If you take away any of their yearly income, they would probably have to declare bankruptcy.

Now - it's hard to feel sympathy for someone making millions but... if it was you, you'd be pretty unhappy...

 

[Kashim]

Freaking arrogant, entitled, Millennial's and Gen Z's. Welcome to the REAL WORLD.

The real world? Is this the Republican Real World you're talking about? You know, where you have to give ALL the money to the top 1% while the poor get poorer. That real world? That's just America, it's not the real world. Only braindead Trump voters think this way. The rest of the world is willing to fight for their share of the pie instead of just handing everything to the ultra-rich on a platter.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

The real world? Is this the Republican Real World you're talking about? You know, where you have to give ALL the money to the top 1% while the poor get poorer. That real world? That's just America, it's not the real world. Only braindead Trump voters think this way. The rest of the world is willing to fight for their share of the pie instead of just handing everything to the ultra-rich on a platter.

The last Democrat in charge turned his back on the unions. How quickly you forget the railroad strike.

Also, a quarter of my income does not go to the 1%, it goes to welfare programs. Nearly half my taxes go to SSDI, Medicare, Medicaid, Section 8, WIC, ece ece ece. Not the rich. The majority of the rest goes into the failing public school system and the black hole budget for "roads" that never seems to get applied to the roads, and the military to allow half the planet to outsource their defense needs to us.

The Unions will have much more support when they stop protecting bad employees, the way American unions, particularly the UAW, operate is closer to organized crime. Unions in Europe would never imagine protecting people the way we do. And they need to stop blindly clamoring for Democrats, the Democrats dont care about them anymore then Republicans do. When was the last pro union bill Democrats passed? When did they move to make organized labor stronger?