Editor's Note: This article is part of an ongoing series. Catch up on the latest news about the Verizon strike here.

May 11, 2016 – When almost 40,000 Verizon employees went on strike last month, touching off one of the largest labor actions in recent United States history, many of the company's customers were left wondering how it would affect their service. As the strike approaches its fifth week, some now have answers to that question: service has gotten worse.

The company had said it was "fully prepared to serve its customers" when the work stoppage started on April 13. "We do not take strike threats lightly," said Bob Mudge, president of Verizon's wireline network operations. "For more than a year, we've been preparing in the event union leaders order our employees to walk off the job. If a strike takes place, whether it's one day, two weeks or longer, we are ready."

Company spokespeople reiterated this message a few weeks into the strike, stating that the labor activity was having "a very minimal impact" on its operations. On April 29, Verizon announced that it began "deploying thousands of additional employees and contractors" to serve its customers during the strike.

"While we'd rather have our seasoned veterans in these positions, each day, more and more customers are giving us high marks in that their inquiries and issues are being successfully resolved in our call centers and in the field," Mudge said. "We are taking additional steps to ensure our services are available as our customers deserve and expect. Our employees are proudly working hard in our customers' homes and businesses and are getting the job done."

See related article: Verizon Strike 2016 Update: Alleged Industrial Sabotage, Service Issues SERVICE ISSUES

However, union leaders have stated that the company is having more maintenance issues than they're letting on. "Regulators in three states are already investigating Verizon for its refusal to keep up with network maintenance and wear and tear… the root of many ongoing service problems," CWA District 1 Vice President Dennis Trainor and CWA District 2-13 Vice President Edward Mooney stated in a joint news release.