Virginia Department of Transportation has announced a project to install four new fast electric vehicle chargers outside the Quality Inn hotel near Interstate 81 in Christiansburg. Currently, there are no fast chargers in the area, making it difficult for through travelers passing by to charge their vehicles. The new chargers will be beneficial for these travelers and will provide them with a convenient charging option.
The project will be funded by both state highway officials and Universal EV Chargers of Plano, Texas. State highway officials have committed $581,209 to the project, while Universal EV Chargers will contribute $403,891 towards the construction of the units. This project is one of 18 announced by VDOT last month. According to Universal spokeswoman Megha Thacker, EV drivers can expect to start using the hotel chargers by the end of the year.
In other news, Starbucks workers in Christiansburg have recently unionized due to inconsistent and unpredictable scheduling at the store near Interstate 81. Gwynn McCord, a barista and shift leader at the coffee shop, mentioned that days off are hard to come by in the current system. As a result, workers at the coffee shop voted in favor of unionizing on April 2. With unionization, they hope to negotiate for a new scheduling system that will provide workers with regular time off for at least a solid month or even a quarter. As more Starbucks locations unionize, management has signaled a willingness to negotiate over important issues for workers. They have held over 500 negotiating sessions and hope to reach ratified agreements for represented stores by 2024.