Oregon Whistleblower Protection

If a brother tells his on his sister, we call it “tattling.” When employees tell on their employers or on government contractors, it’s called whistleblowing. Oregon law protects employees from termination, demotion or discrimination when they report certain bad conduct. An Oregon employer may not fire or demote an employee for reporting legal violations to authorities.

A general statute protects whistleblowers in Oregon. Also, many specific statutes apply to certain industries or activities. For example, Oregon law prohibits assisted living facilities from disciplining employees who bring evidence of inappropriate care to the attention of the proper authority, and the proper authority includes the facility’s own administration, not just the government.

Many federal laws control government contractors, some of which are very specific to the industry. Another law, however, is very broad. That’s the Federal False Claims Act, sometimes called the “Qui Tam law.” It provides a reward to people who report a government contractor that is filing false claims. This applies not only to the defense industry, but also to a local doctor who is cheating Medicare.

These are just a couple of examples. If you think your Oregon employer fired you because you did your duty and reported violations, feel free to call me at 503-665-4234.