Holding out for more money when a fair deal is presented in this case is exactly what Patterson said it is: extortion. For any police officers out there (or people that know cops), when you signed your contract to be a cop, did you agree that you had to work extra hours at other private jobs for private companies at whatever rate someone else thought was fair? Or did you retain your right to make decisions about what to do on your personal time?
According to the article, the police do not appear to have an issue with working extra hours; its strictly financial. If it turns out that police officers are the only ones permitted to direct traffic, then the Texans are pretty much forced into paying whatever the police officers in question demand, or simply do without. What would you call that?
Major, Last I read, the starting rate was around $20 - $22 for off duty work with a four hour minimum. There is a premium for working outdoors (construction and traffic control), but are you sure it is $10 @ hour? Since the Texans were getting responses from other law enforcement officers, then the $30 @ hour that some HPD officers were asking for does seem higher than the going rate.
