On February 17, 1958, the Branch Union submitted a request for wage increases of 100% for single, and 200% for married employees for the year. The union, in all seriousness made the unthinkable request for, not 10% and 20% increases, but doubled salaries for single and tripled salaries for married employees!

This was, of course not a reasonable request that could be taken seriously. Both the Branch Union and Tokyo General, the umbrella organization that was directing it, were well aware that the company could not accept such a request.

The request made it clear to all that it wasn't just a labor union, but some scheme with a purpose unrelated to wage increases under the guise of a union.

In negotiations, the negotiator sent from the umbrella group only repeated the baseless demand that if the company was making a profit, it should increase wages. The company negotiator persisted in the seemingly meaningless negotiation process. He even had to patiently explain the basic concept that the profits for the year did not simply pile up in the company coffers.

The union negotiator didn't even understand basic business concepts. Senior union officials often tried to intimidate with browbeating and unfounded jeers. It goes without saying that, in the end, their demands for doubled and tripled wages had to be refused.

At the time, were Kobayashi Pharmaceutical salaries really as low as the union demands implied? The reality was, they were not.

The basic monthly wage was 12,602 yen for men, and 9,646 yen for women, and the company had already decided on average increases of 770 yen per month. Both the Employee Union and the Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Union (HQ union, est. May 20, 1957 at the Osaka head office) had agreed to this.

Later, a first hearing decision of a Tokyo District Court trial in which a laid-off employee was seeking social standing reparations said this of the situation: "Compared to similar companies, not only are wages not particularly inferior,...", but "...both of the other unions were satisfied, so this wage increase demand, coming from a relatively small number of union members, is not sufficiently justified to compel the company".

Negotiations were tried repeatedly, but the union kept to the same demands, and finally, on April 5, the Branch Union invoked their right to strike.