Hundreds of health care workers protested outside UC Davis Health on Stockton Boulevard Wednesday, calling for higher wages and lower health care costs. Workers described working multiple jobs and struggling to cover expenses.

Thousands of University of California health and service workers have hit the picket line as of Wednesday morning.

Tens of thousands of University of California Health System workers are striking across the state, including workers at Sacramento’s UC Davis Medical Center. Hundreds of UC service workers joined the picket lines Wednesday in front of the facility on Stockton Blvd.

Local 3299 represents about 40,000 workers statewide and, at UC San Diego, according to previous statements from the university, about 4,300 work for the health system and nearly 2,800 on campus. The union accuses the university of sidestepping the normal bargaining process to unilaterally increase employee health insurance premiums and of “serial lawbreaking” at the bargaining table.

About 37,000 University of California patient care and service workers walked off the job at all UC campuses and medical centers across the state.

Two unions are striking statewide across University of California campuses this week. The strike is set to kickoff Wednesday morning at 7 a.m. at the University of California, San Francisco. Four-thousand healthcare,