OK on Chrysler Pact ThisClose

Auto workers at four Chrysler plants voted by significant margins to approve a new labor contract yesterday, increasing the likelihood of final ratification by the company's 45,000 workers, despite rejection at several plants. The last vote, at a small-car plant in Illinois that employs 3,000 workers, is scheduled for tomorrow.

Unless the vote is overwhelmingly negative, it's unlikely to significantly alter the current 55% support for the deal, reports the Wall Street Journal. Support has increased as union officials stepped up lobbying efforts. "The more people got a chance to read the contract and got their questions answered, the more they understood it," said one local leader. (More United Auto Workers stories.)