Word: trolley
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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...flag that hung from the balcony of their union headquarters across the street. Inside headquarters, beneath a gigantic portrait of Communist Boss Mao Tse-tung, more than a score of Hong Kong labor leaders smoked, drank endless cups of green tea and offered their sympathy to the locked-out trolley employees. A headline in the pro-Communist Ta Rung Pao set the tone. It read: "Friendly Love Will Support the Tramway Workers." Outside, restless crowds chanted a Communist song to the tune of "John Brown's Body...
...labor force had been on the rise for months. The Nationalist defeat on the mainland had flooded Hong Kong with thousands of refugees. Many upper-class Chinese brought plenty of money-and inflation-with them. Prices quickly outran the wages paid by Hong Kong's employers. Said Trolley Conductor Kwan Ping, who supports his family of five on less than $30 a month: "My wages cover only rent for my one room and the very cheapest food. I have nothing for clothing or emergency expenses." Other conductors agreed. Said one: "We have no other intention except to fill...