A new labor dispute is building inside Samsung Electronics over how the gains from the AI boom should be shared. The Samsung Electronics Co Union, which represents workers in consumer electronics businesses such as smartphones, TVs and home appliances, has asked a South Korean court to halt a vote on a pay deal. The union argues that the agreement unfairly favors employees in Samsung’s chip divisions.

The deal was reached with government mediation and helped avert an 18-day strike by about 48,000 Samsung workers. It includes large payouts for semiconductor employees, with some memory-chip workers potentially receiving annual bonuses of up to $416,000. The program is tied to roughly 10.5% of the chip division’s operating profit being set aside for special bonuses.

The backlash reflects a broader internal divide. Samsung’s semiconductor business has benefited directly from AI-driven demand, while employees in smartphones, TVs and home appliances expect much smaller payouts. SECU says its members were effectively excluded from the process even though the agreement affects the company’s broader compensation system.

For Samsung, the dispute is sensitive. Shares jumped after the agreement because investors were relieved that a major strike had been avoided and chip supply risks had eased. But the issue has now shifted from production disruption to a longer-term question: who inside technology giants should capture the profits created by the AI boom.