Seoul Bus Union members overwhelmingly approved strike action Friday, allowing a walkout next Wednesday if wage talks with management fail at a second mediation session scheduled for next Tuesday. Of 16,716 participating members among the union's 18,296 members, 16,089 voted in favor, representing 96.25% of participants and 87.94% of total membership. Workers at three bus operators that negotiate separately also backed a strike, with 260 of 286 participating members voting in favor. The central dispute concerns whether unpaid wages should be calculated using 176 hours or 209 hours as the monthly divisor for converting base wages into an hourly rate, a dispute also described as involving the calculation of ordinary wages. The union cites an April Supreme Court standard from a case involving Dong-A Transportation, while management wants to settle any difference after court rulings in lawsuits involving 64 Seoul bus companies, scheduled to begin on Dec. 4. Management says the 176-hour method would raise wages 16.44% without a separate increase, while accepting all union proposals would produce an average increase of 30.57%. The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to arrange alternative transportation if a strike occurs. A walkout would be the second Seoul city bus strike this year, following a two-day strike from Jan. 13 to 14.