***PLEASE NOTE: The Oregon Whistleblowing Statute was amended effective Jan. 1, 2010. This article is outdated.
Employment whistleblowing provisions are scattered throughout Oregon statutory and common law. Likewise, your employment contract or employment policies may protect you from disclosing an employer’s wrongful conduct. However, the main whistleblowing statute is codified at ORS 659A.230(1), which reads:
It is an unlawful employment practice for an employer to discharge, demote, suspend or in any manner discriminate or retaliate against an employee with regard to promotion, compensation or other terms, conditions or privileges of employment for the reason that the employee has in good faith reported criminal activity by any person, has in good faith caused a complainant’s information or complaint to be filed against any person, has in good faith cooperated with any law enforcement agency conducting a criminal investigation, has in good faith brought a civil proceeding against an employer or has testified in good faith at a civil proceeding or criminal trial.
This statute protects reports of criminal activity and participation in civil proceedings against an employer.
