Nearly 48,000 academic employees across the University of California’s 10 campuses strike for better pay and benefits to afford their cost of living.

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The unions representing some 48,000 teaching assistants, researchers, postdoctoral scholars, tutors, and graders say the vast majority of members turned out at picket lines starting at 8 a.m.

They say they are seeking significant pay increases and child-care subsidies to afford the cost of living in cities such as Los Angeles, San Diego and Berkeley, where housing costs are soaring.

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