Samsung Electronics union membership only open to semiconductor employees now

The Samsung Electronics union has been in the news quite a lot in recent months due to their demands for increased compensation, particularly due to the stellar performance of the semiconductor division.

It's the largest part of the Samsung Group United Union, and has now voted in majority to exclude consumer electronics employees to reorganize primarily around the Device Solutions division.

Samsung Group United Union's Samsung Electronics chapter previously represented employees in both the semiconductor and consumer electronics businesses. It will now become a union that's open only to semiconductor workers.

Reports out of South Korea highlight that the union has approved a change to its membership rules to limit membership to employees of the Device Solutions division only. This division oversees Samsung's semiconductor business.

The vote to exclusive consumer electronics employees from the union was approved with an overwhelming majority. Of the 28,680 members who voted, 96.3% or 27,618 supported the change in the membership rules.

Not only can consumer electronics division employees no longer join the union, existing union members who are part of the consumer electronics union will now have the leave the union. This union has previously disagreed with other Samsung Electronics unions over the distribution of performance bonuses. It later said that it will no longer negotiate jointly with other unions and will restructure around the semiconductor division.