{"componentChunkName":"component---src-templates-article-tsx","path":"/primedishwashing","webpackCompilationHash":"46924986a792e4a723a9","result":{"data":{"primeArticle":{"headline":"Rinse and Repeat","author":"Alisha Hassanali","authorbio":"","authoremail":"","authortwitter":"","coverimg":"http://oink.dailybruin.com/packages/prime.dishwashing/image/1rboPZEcatIL0ihU42OCWakeqeZi25Pdb/","covercred":"Photos by Chenrui Zhang","coveralt":"A dining hall worker cleaning bowls wearing gloves and a uniform.","articleType":"article","updated":"","content":[{"type":"text","value":"Mark Gailes heard the sharp clatter of plates, the rush of water and the steady churn of machines that never seem to stop."},{"type":"text","value":"He saw a line of students stretched out the door, their chatter filling Epicuria at Covel. Fresh pizzas hit the boards every minute, and the dessert line wrapped around the dining room with students eager for plates of tiramisu."},{"type":"text","value":"The night Gailes and his team of dishwashers had been preparing for had finally arrived: the inaugural Italian night."},{"type":"text","value":"Gailes and his team were busy unpacking and"},{"type":"text","value":"washing new bowls for students returning for seconds and thirds of pasta, all while trying to stay on top of cleaning the grease-coated pots and pans from the kitchen. Gailes said it was the busiest shift he’d ever worked in his three years of being a dishwasher. On Epicuria’s first Italian night, the dining hall served more than 3,000 diners – a sharp contrast to the 1,800-2,000 on usual nights."},{"type":"pull","value":"{\"caption\":\"When they stack up their plates, sometimes they’ll do a Jenga puzzle.\\\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"Every day, thousands of hungry students and staff pass through UCLA’s four residential restaurants – Bruin Plate, Epicuria at Covel, De Neve Residential Restaurant and Feast at Rieber. The nearly 15,000 students living on the Hill typically interact with the chefs preparing their meals and the staff serving them, but most don’t think twice about where their dishes go once they finish eating. Behind the swinging doors, there’s a group of workers ensuring everything comes back clean."},{"type":"text","value":"However, busy shifts are not exclusive to Italian night. As a dishwasher for 24 years at UCLA, Alan Perez’s busiest shifts at Bruin Plate were other themed dinners, where the dining staff served more than 2,700 people. Perez said he keeps packets of powdered Celsius in his pocket to stay awake and keep up with the flow of dirty dishes."},{"type":"largeimageC","value":"{\"alt\":\"A dining hall worker scrapes food scraps out of a bowl with a gloved hand.\",\"url\":\"http://oink.dailybruin.com/packages/prime.dishwashing/image/1QR5Vmrfb4W4gFJSo4W6ufmPp4vDEh7mi/\",\"credit\":\"Chenrui Zhang/Daily Bruin staff\",\"caption\":\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"Hector Rodriguez, who also works at Bruin Plate, said the busiest lunch and breakfast shifts happen during move-in week and week zero. Since students don’t have classes, they tend to frequent the dining halls to catch up with friends. With close to 2,000 students entering Bruin Plate across lunch hours in those weeks, the dishwashing team often calls for reinforcements from other dining halls to help manage the volume."},{"type":"text","value":"Staff members such as Jesus Salazar unload and rinse plates from the roto stack – the rotating wall where students drop off used dishes. Salazar then puts the dishes on a conveyor belt to be industrially washed."},{"type":"text","value":"Salazar said students often forget there is sometimes only one person on the other side of the roto stack unloading their dishes. When students overfill the trays on the roto stack, piles of dishes topple over and slow down the process for staff who are already trying to keep up."},{"type":"text","value":"\"When they stack up their plates, sometimes they’ll do a Jenga puzzle,\" he said."},{"type":"text","value":"The variety of options on each menu means students might grab multiple dishes before sitting down to eat – covering their tables with plates to try every food. When staff members unload dishes from the roto stack, they witness the extent of food waste in UCLA dining halls firsthand, Gailes said."},{"type":"pull","value":"{\"caption\":\"People bring up multiple plates of steak, multiple plates of pizza because they’ve decided they’re not hungry anymore.\\\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"Gailes said he often watches hundreds of pounds of food wasted, usually filling up four trashcans. Instead of preemptively loading up on plates, Gailes recommends going back and taking more food if you are still hungry to prevent such waste."},{"type":"text","value":"\"People bring up multiple plates of steak, multiple plates of pizza because they’ve decided they’re not hungry anymore,\" he said."},{"type":"largeimageC","value":"{\"alt\":\"A dining hall worker cleans and stacks plates.\",\"url\":\"http://oink.dailybruin.com/packages/prime.dishwashing/image/1ip20BCytFeEDNP_er60GIpt8ByWE95X8/\",\"credit\":\"Chenrui Zhang/Daily Bruin staff\",\"caption\":\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"At Bruin Plate, the garbage disposal machine has been broken for a year, slowing down the staff’s pace because they have to manually fill up trash cans with food waste. Perez said he wishes UCLA would show its appreciation for dishwashing staff by fixing its machines and giving staff the proper tools to efficiently do their work."},{"type":"text","value":"In an emailed statement, UCLA Media Relations said Bruin Plate’s dish room pulper system is being replaced and is expected to be operational by the end of June. To minimize disruption to dining operations, UCLA Maintenance will install the replacement during Bruin Plate’s planned closure ahead of the summer season."},{"type":"text","value":"And a fixed garbage disposal machine isn’t the only thing the dishwashers are asking for. Dishwashing staff have been demanding better conditions from the University as part of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Workers Employees Local 3299, a union representing more than 40,000 service and technical patient care workers across the UC. The union announced April 15 that it plans to strike indefinitely starting May 14 if the university does not meet its demands."},{"type":"text","value":"The union has been in contract negotiations since January 2024 and has struck across the UC five times since bargaining began. Its members allege that the UC has failed to negotiate in good faith and have demanded higher wages, fewer staff vacancies and additional healthcare and housing benefits."},{"type":"text","value":"The UC offered AFSCME Local 3299 a contract in April with across-the-board wage increases of 5% in 2026, 4% in 2027, 4% in 2028 and 3% in 2029, according to the UC Office of the President. However, the union said in a statement on its website that the proposed pay raise is not enough to keep up with workers’ needs."},{"type":"text","value":"When equipment malfunctions at Epicuria at Covel, Gailes said he takes matters into his own hands. For example, he takes apart the dish machine when he notices it hasn’t been cleaned. He first deconstructs the machine, unscrewing the side panels and lining them up along the conveyor belt. Then, he applies a purple degreasing soap, scrubbing every surface to remove layers of dirt and buildup. Once the parts are rinsed clean, he fits the panels back into place."},{"type":"largeimageC","value":"{\"alt\":\"A dining hall worker lines up bowls in an orderly fashion on a yellow stand, preparing them for washing.\",\"url\":\"http://oink.dailybruin.com/packages/prime.dishwashing/image/1y5VzVf3-DR2ap39JobL4wMu__Jn4UZJf/\",\"credit\":\"Chenrui Zhang/Daily Bruin staff\",\"caption\":\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"For larger pots, sheet pans and cooking utensils, staff first use a high-pressure water hose to blast debris before placing each into the dish machine. This initial spray allows Rodriguez to quickly rinse away food waste before beginning a deeper cleaning, but this must be repeated across countless dishes, which takes a physical toll on his body."},{"type":"text","value":"After his six-hour shift, Salazar said he feels the most pain in his lower back and upper shoulders from constantly moving 5-10 pounds of dishes every 10 seconds. Salazar’s day doesn’t end when his shift finishes, either. As a father of two, he heads home to cook dinner for his children before preparing to return to UCLA and doing it all over again."},{"type":"text","value":"Regardless of how busy the shift is, Gailes said the dishwashing staff often breaks a sweat because temperatures can reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit in the dish room. Bruin Plate staff members have attempted to combat this by installing five fans to keep themselves cool. Epicuria at Covel staff members only have one."},{"type":"text","value":"Furthermore, the smell of food waste, grease and soiled cookware intensifies throughout the shift. Without proper maintenance, these odors develop."},{"type":"text","value":"\"It gets very gunky,\" Salazar said. \"The sewage starts smelling with all that grease. We’re working, and we just smell it.\""},{"type":"pull","value":"{\"caption\":\"We’re human. We’re not robots.\\\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"Despite the challenges, Perez is proud to serve UCLA, whether he’s feeding the chancellor, staff or students. Gailes added that, since UCLA holds the title of the No. 1 dining program in the nation, he feels a personal responsibility to contribute to that legacy of quality."},{"type":"text","value":"UCLA is known for advancing some of the world’s most sophisticated technologies, but one element of campus life has remained steady for more than half a century: the work of the dishwashing staff. Salazar said the dishwashers’ role is as critical today as it was 50 years ago – serving as the engine that keeps the dining halls functional and the students fed."},{"type":"text","value":"\"We’re human. We’re not robots,\" Salazar said. \"I cannot see AI replacing us at doing all that.\""}]}},"pageContext":{"isCreatedByStatefulCreatePages":false,"term":"spring26","slug":"prime.dishwashing"}}}