Can an employer terminate an employee without providing a termination letter?

Hello! I'm so sorry that you got this notice of termination. The law doesn't require specifically that any notice be in writing. There is some misinformation online, but the Department of Labor and Industries has laid out a comment on this - https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/TerminationOfEmployment.pdf I'm am very sorry about this+ and best of luck.

You can reach out to the employer and contest the termination, citing what you’ve mentioned above. If discrimination is a possibility of why you were terminated, you may want to consider an EEOC complaint (note time is an important factor here). However, a demand letter may be the best first step to try and reach a satisfactory resolution for all parties.

I am so very sorry to hear about your termination. One can always sue; the question is whether one can win. The content of the letter would be used as one piece of evidence; you would need to provide as much evidence as possible to win a case (or to even convince the employer to settle with you). Some of these other pieces of evidence would include such things as the performance and discipline of colleagues who are of a different race than you; evidence that demonstrates your performance was no worse than colleagues who weren't terminated; testimony from colleagues, and etc. In addition, a court would look at things such as how long you had been on the job when compared with other employees who were not fired; whether you and the colleagues used for comparison had the same/similar jobs or not; etc. If you employer has at least eight employees, you can file a complaint at no charge with the Washington State Human Rights Commission here: https://www.hum.wa.gov/file-complaint This neutral state agency will file a complaint on your behalf at the same time with the federal EEOC (which has been gutted) and HRC will conduct a neutral investigation and also try to help you settle with the employer. You can skip the State HRC and go straight to state court, but this would be challenging to do without an attorney representing you - and you'll only find an attorney to represent you if you convince him or her that you have an excellent case. I also want you to know that Tacoma, Seattle, Spokane, and King County have their own discrimination agencies, so if you were working in one of those places, you can contact the appropriate agency for help. I hope that helps. I have a long background in discrimination law, and worked at the HRC three times, and was also a City of Tacoma Human Rights Commissioner.

You would be wise to request that an attorney review the proposed employment agreement before you sign. In addition to ensuring that you would have voting rights, there are numerous other terms that should be carefully reviewed, such as non-compete language if and when you leave employment; TRAP language (usually requiring an employee to reimburse the employer if the employee receives training during his or her employment); terms and conditions of employment (such as schedule, work type, and duties); vacation hours; how disputes will be resolved; and, sometimes, future severance.

In Washington, there are no punitive damages. Employment resolutions are usually based on some percentage or multiple of a person's salary. It is your job to reach a settlement that is fair and reasonable for you, not for a litigant against you (that's their job, not yours). If you are having difficulty resolving this dispute, you may want to consider mediation. Before you pay the employee, be sure to have them sign a full and complete release of all current and future liability and claims against you individually, your business, your heirs; etc. Also, if you have business insurance, it's possible you are entitled to a free attorney to represent you in this dispute.