Negotiators went home Friday evening and were to meet again Saturday morning, GM spokeswoman Katie McBride said.
An agreement on the health care trust is the linchpin of the negotiations, which began in July.
UAW President Ron Gettelfinger told members Friday he was trying to speed up negotiations with General Motors and wanted to reach a contract agreement without a strike.
"We are continuing to make progress; however, we are pushing to accelerate the negotiating pace at all levels," he said in a message to UAW members. "It is our desire to reach an agreement without a strike, and we have demonstrated this by staying at the bargaining table up to this point."
Gettelfinger added that the effort to speed the talks doesn't mean any of the union's options are off the table, including the option to strike, according to the message, which was posted Friday evening on a union Web site in Oklahoma.
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GM and the UAW spent Friday negotiating issues like wages and job security while experts helped finalize the possible health care deal, according to people familiar with the negotiations.
GM and the UAW have asked an independent party to review both sides' financial calculations for a historic deal that would place GM's retiree health care obligations in a UAW-managed trust, according to a local union leader who was briefed on the talks. The local leader requested anonymity because the talks are private.
In the meantime, Friday's talks focused on outstanding issues other than the health care trust, according to another person who was briefed on the talks but requested anonymity. That person said the pace of the talks has picked up and negotiators are expected to meet through the weekend. Negotiators have settled noneconomic issues such as grievance procedures but are still working through issues like pay, job security and pensions.
Local union officials said they'd gotten few updates from bargainers and expressed frustration at the long wait for a new contract. Friday marked one week since the expiration of GM's contract with the union. The UAW has been extending the contract hour by hour since then.