UAW rank-and-file members scored one for the dissidents Thursday night when Local 136 at the St. Louis North Assembly plant, Chrysler’s third largest plant, rejected the pact by an 81 percent margin.

Workers at the Chrysler engine plant in Kenosha, Wis., however, approved the contract by an 82 percent margin.

Members opposed to the contract have been blasting its two-tier wage provisions, saying they eventually could result in entire facilities full of $14-an-hour workers, the Detroit News said.

The dissidents' efforts sparked a counterattack by top UAW leaders, who are making phone calls and writing letters to local presidents to shore up support.

Rank-and-file ratification votes began Thursday and continue into next week.