DAYTON, Ohio -- A day after leaders with the city of Dayton notified 11 Dayton police officers of their lay offs and then offered to conditionally recall them, the police Fraternal Order of Police president calls the city's actions "extortion."

Eleven officers were notified Wednesday that they would lose their jobs at the beginning of August because of budget cuts.

The city and police union had been negotiating a new contract to help to reduce the deficit and a mediator recently sided with the union, saying the city could afford to give police a 1 percent raise with no furlough days.

The city was asking for a wage freeze and four furlough days per officer, an agreement accepted by a larger city union.

But, because the mediator recommended the raise, city manager Rashad Young said the layoffs were needed to help offset the loss of funding. Young told the union he would bring back the 11 officers on the condition that the union accepted the proposed wage freeze and furlough days.

"Quite frankly, the FOP will not be extorted," said FOP President Randy Beane.

Beane said the officers' raise is not set in stone, and there is still a final binding arbitration meeting to decide which contract will be accepted.

"So, why is it imperative that the city lay off people prior to the (binding arbitrator) hearing? Again, we believe it's an effort to extort us," Beane said.

In a news conference Wednesday, Young said the layoffs were not in retaliation to the outcome of the mediator negotiations. He said the city had been open with the union about impending layoffs.

Beane said the union is willing to talk about taking a wage freeze, but they do not like the idea of accepting furlough days.

"We don't believe the citizens can sustain furlough days," Beane said. "It would mean if police officers accepted an additional 1,600 days off, that's three to four more officers less per day. We don't believe we can do it."

The union will meet Tuesday to decide as a group what they'll do next.