Fired in Oregon: Your Rights Under At-Will Employment

Oregon is an at-will state, but firings for discriminatory or retaliatory reasons are unlawful. Here’s what to know and do next.

Quick Answer

• At-will allows termination for any non-illegal reason.
• Illegal reasons include discrimination and retaliation. See EEOC Deadlines.

At-Will Basics (OR)

• Employment can end at any time for a lawful reason.
• Contracts and union agreements can limit at-will.

Illegal Reasons for Firing (With Examples)

• Discrimination: e.g., termination soon after pregnancy announcement or age-based comments tied to layoff.
• Retaliation: e.g., fired after wage complaint or safety report.
• Whistleblowing/refusing illegal acts.

Evidence Checklist

• Offer/contract, handbook, reviews
• Emails/texts, schedules, incident reports
• Timeline of events with dates/witnesses

Filing Options

• Discrimination/retaliation: EEOC – https://www.eeoc.gov/filing
• State: Oregon BOLI – https://www.oregon.gov/boli

FAQs

• Do I need to file with BOLI or EEOC? Often one agency can dual-file; starting with EEOC is common.

Related

• Oregon Hub: /oregon/
• Templates: Sample Employment Complaint Letters

Sources

• EEOC – https://www.eeoc.gov
• Oregon BOLI – https://www.oregon.gov/boli