SK hynix ended its 2026 production-worker pay dispute without a strike by revising how profit-sharing bonuses would be paid. After workers narrowly rejected an offer weighted toward company shares, management raised the default cash portion to half. Union members approved the revised agreement on Sept. 16.
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A decisive second vote after a narrow rejection
The production-worker unions at SK hynix’s Icheon and Cheongju plants voted from 6 a.m. on Sept. 15 until 9 a.m. on Sept. 16. Of 16,039 eligible members, 15,297 voted—a turnout of 95.37%. The revised deal received 8,731 votes in favor and 6,566 against, passing with 57.08% support and a margin of 2,165 votes. These are combined figures for the two plants, not separate plant results.
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The earlier proposal, rejected on Aug. 25, included a 6.3% wage increase and a plan to pay profit-sharing bonuses 40% in cash and 60% in shares. Of 15,045 members who voted, 7,535 opposed it and 7,510 supported it—a difference of just 25 votes. Support for the revised deal was 7.16 percentage points higher than the initial offer’s 49.92%.
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What changed in the bonus agreement
Labor and management reached a revised proposal on Sept. 9. It set the default profit-sharing payment at 50% cash and 50% company shares, rather than 40% cash and 60% shares. Workers could elect to receive more in stock, increasing their stock allocation in 10-percentage-point steps from 50% to 100%. The revised arrangement did not provide an all-cash option.
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That change addressed demand for a larger cash payout: under the first proposal, a greater share of each bonus would have been received in stock, leaving more of its eventual value dependent on the share price.
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9 The supplied reporting establishes the change in payment mix, but does not establish that the final bonus pool or the proposed 6.3% wage increase changed.
Between the two votes, the union held approximately 60 sessions to explain the agreement to members, according to MoneyToday.
17 After the revised deal passed, SK hynix confirmed the approval, and labor and management planned a signing ceremony to complete the wage and collective bargaining agreement before Chuseok.
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