As dawn approached on March 19, 1938, the future was a mystery. Cárdenas had analyzed the situation in Europe correctly, figuring that the rise of fascism and its drums of war would preclude foreign military intervention to rescue the oil companies. He was less forthcoming, however, on what he had in mind for the nationalized industry. The workers, by contrast, took control of daily industry operations immediately and assumed that workers' management would be the rule. Given the history of relations between the oil workers and the Mexican revolutionary state, however, a long lasting agreement was highly unlikely. Thus, it was no surprise that the joy of March 19, 1938, was short-lived. The central issue of contention was the same that had deadlocked contract negotiations between the companies and the STPRM, namely, workers’ control.

Friction between the workers and the government over industry control began within a month of expropriation. While they made every effort to keep the industry running despite a lack of spare parts and the companies' international boycott against the Mexican industry, workers protested the number and quality of officials appointed to management positions.