Viola went as long as 21 days without food (That is equivalent to Ghandi’s longest strike!) during Fuerza Unida’s boycott against Levis' in front of the brand’s headquarters in San Francisco, California. She and the other boycotters hoped that sacrificing their time, sanity and health would grab enough attention to spread mass awareness of the blatant inequality that lives so freely in our country.

In 1993, Fuerza Unida filed a class action lawsuit against Levis’ arguing that the closure of the plant discriminated against Fuerza’s members who filed worker’s compensation claims. The case and it’s appeal were not only dismissed but mocked to that extent that the judge, United States District Judge H.F. Garcia, charged the attorney representing Fuerza Unida $5000 for "filing a frivolous claim." 

The disrespect from the courts only ignited a larger storm. Fuerza Unida spent the rest of the 90’s traveling all over the world to spread their story while maintaining a non-profit/grassroots organization here in San Antonio. The group also banded with other grassroot groups and organized more wide-spread hunger strikes. Some so large they even spread to Mexico. 

Fuerza Unida’s struggle and determination brought Levis’ to provide severage packages for the employees who came after them, but Levi Strauss has neglected to fulfill the founders of Fuerza Unida’s request to receive a similar package. A Levis’ representative confirmed that the group’s noise was a factor in determining the company's severance package offerings in later layoffs.

Today, Fuerza Unida runs as a 501(c)3 nonprofit in the heart of the Southside of San Antonio. Led by their executive director, Petra Mata, the organization is still committed to fighting for garment worker rights and has expanded to advocacy and education in may other areas important to their community.