The pilots’ union at Allegiant Air is blocking the carrier’s bid to secure U.S. residency for dozens of foreign pilots from Chile, Australia and Singapore. The union’s refusal to certify to the U.S. Department of Labor that the pilot positions, which start at about $50,000 a year, or about half of what pilots at other regional airlines earn, meet “prevailing wage” standards has left their immigration status undecided. Teamsters Local 2118 says Allegiant should offer industry-standard compensation and improvements to scheduling to retain pilots who are leaving for rivals, rather than hire pilots from overseas.
