Labor discontent simmering beneath the surface at...

Labor discontent simmering beneath the surface at Chrysler Corp. isn’t likely to prevent the No. 3 automaker and the United Auto Workers from reaching an early contract settlement by summer, observers say. Since Chrysler backed down in early March from the planned sale of its 28,000-worker Acustar Inc. parts subsidiary, caustic rhetoric and the threat of crippling strikes have been replaced by the silence of negotiators preparing demands and strategies for the planned opening of talks April 18. The union’s demands will be discussed and approved by the 140-member UAW national Chrysler council during a meeting this week in Kansas City, Mo.