Oh yes, it's being worked on by the union.
I am just curious whether or not any other non-US long haul airline has asked its pilots to start declaring tax in the US.
I agree it's insane, but then ... it's Cathay. They have been excelling at this for decades.
US does tax foreign individuals but only if they spend certain amount of time in the US or participate in the US economy, neither of which is your case. Besides, US tax laws clearly state that any foreigner who has already paid taxes in his own country will have that sum deducted from his taxes due in the US. And I've never heard of any foreign airline employees having to pay taxes in the US. Or anywhere for that matter, other than their country of residence. They cannot be considered residents because they come on a D-1 or D-2 visa.