Samsung Electronics

In May 2026, over 47,000 Samsung Electronics workers (roughly 40% of the South Korean workforce) voted to strike after wage negotiations collapsed. The union demanded bonuses equivalent to 15% of operating profit and removal of a 50% salary cap on bonuses. The union estimated an 18-day strike would cost Samsung approximately $20 billion. A tentative agreement was reached on May 22, averting the full strike. This was one of the largest labor actions in semiconductor industry history.

On April 16, 2026, Samsung asked a South Korean court to block labor unions from holding an 18-day strike planned for May 21-June 7, 2026. The strike would reportedly cost Samsung over 1 trillion won ($676 million) per day. Approximately 40,000 union members participated in an April 23 rally in Pyeongtaek. The dispute centers on union demands for bonuses totaling 15% of projected annual semiconductor operating profit (40.5 trillion won) vs Samsung's offer of restricted stock with bonus caps.

On April 16, 2026, Samsung asked a South Korean court to block labor unions from holding an 18-day strike planned for May 21 - June 7. The dispute centered on bonus demands (15% of projected semiconductor operating profit, totaling 40.5 trillion won) vs Samsung's offer of restricted stock with bonus caps. Approximately 40,000 union members participated in an April 23 rally in Pyeongtaek. The union claimed a strike would cost Samsung >1 trillion won ($676 million) per day.

In January 2025, Samsung agreed to recognize an independent workers' union at its Chennai, India factory following a month-long strike by over 1,000 workers. The workers had demanded union recognition, higher wages, and better working conditions. The resolution marked a shift from Samsung's historically anti-union stance.

Samsung Electronics donated $315,000 to Donald Trump's 2025 presidential inauguration fund. The donation was part of broader tech industry contributions to the incoming administration, though notably smaller than the $1M+ donations from US tech giants.

In July-August 2024, Samsung Electronics workers staged the company's first-ever strike in its 55-year history. The National Samsung Electronics Union, representing over 30,000 workers, walked out demanding higher wages, better bonus structures, and an additional day of annual leave. The strike highlighted growing labor tensions at a company historically known for suppressing union activity.

Samsung Electronics committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions across Scope 1 and Scope 2 by 2050. The company's DX (Device Experience) Division achieved 93.4% renewable energy use in 2024. Samsung has also committed to RE100 and set interim targets for emissions reduction across its global operations.

A whistleblower exposed that Samsung concealed approximately 13,000 environmental compliance violations at its Vietnam manufacturing facilities. The whistleblower, who worked in compliance monitoring, revealed systematic underreporting of violations to Vietnamese authorities. This followed Samsung's legacy of workplace safety issues including 320+ occupational disease cases and 118 deaths historically attributed to semiconductor and display manufacturing exposure to toxic chemicals.

On March 20, 2023, a Samsung supplier in Vietnam experienced a methanol poisoning incident that killed one worker and hospitalized 37 others. The incident occurred at a Samsung display manufacturing supplier facility. This highlighted ongoing workplace safety issues in Samsung's supply chain, part of a broader pattern of occupational health problems that have affected thousands of workers over decades.

Samsung partnered with iFixit in 2022 to make genuine Samsung parts, tools, and repair guides available for Galaxy devices. Samsung also introduced a Repair Mode feature that protects user data during repairs by hiding personal content, addressing a key concern about third-party repairs. The partnership covered Galaxy S20, S21, and Tab S7+ models at launch and expanded to additional devices.