 The revolution in 1944 left many of the biggest opponents of organized labor unaffected , such as the landed elite and the United Fruit Company . The revolution , and election of Arévalo , nonetheless marked a significant shift in the fortunes of labor unions . The protests of 1944 strengthened the labor movement to the point where Ponce Vaides stopped enforcing the repressive vagrancy law , which was abolished in the 1945 constitution . On 1 May 1945 , Arévalo made a speech celebrating organized labor , to a tremendously positive reception . The freedom of press guaranteed in the new constitution also drew much attention to the brutal working conditions in Guatemala City . From the beginning , the new unions that were formed fell into two camps , those that were communist and those that were not . The repressive policies of the Ubico government had driven both factions underground , but they re @-@ emerged after the revolution . 
