The first mass labor protest by Mexican Americans took place in San Antonio in 1938 and met with harsh resistance from the city’s political establishment. A workforce of mostly Mexican American women picketed for five weeks to seek a living wage and basic workplace protections.The first mass labor protest by Mexican Americans took place in San Antonio in 1938 and met with harsh resistance from the city’s political establishment. A workforce of mostly Mexican American women picketed for five weeks to seek a living wage and basic workplace protections.