Hyundai Motor union set to leverage strike against Atlas robot deployment

Hyundai Motor's labor union voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, using job security concerns over the planned deployment of Atlas humanoid robots as leverage in wage negotiations. The union gained legal strike rights after state mediation failed, marking the first time automation has become a central issue in the carmaker's annual talks.

Hyundai Motor’s labor union is poised to use a potential strike as leverage to secure job protections against the carmaker’s planned deployment of Atlas humanoid robots in its manufacturing operations. More than 86 percent of the carmaker’s roughly 40,000 union members voted in favor of the walkout, Wednesday, setting the stage for a contentious showdown over wages, job security and the upcoming robot deployment. The union also gained the legal right to go ahead with the strike, Thursday, after a state labor mediation committee decided to suspend its arbitration process between the two sides. While the carmaker’s annual wage negotiation has typically revolved around compensation, this year’s talks have hit a roadblock over a new core agenda on manufacturing automation amid the rise of physical artificial intelligence AI . Earlier this year, Hyundai Motor Group unveiled its plan to gradually deploy Boston Dynamics’ Atlas humanoid robots across its major production lines here and abroad, which has drawn severe backlash from its union. Starting from 2028, the carmaker is schedul