At will means you aren't owed the job you currently have. You are owed pay for all work currently done, but you aren't owed being employed tomorrow. Say I hav

At will means you aren't owed the job you currently have. You are owed pay for all work currently done, but you aren't owed being employed tomorrow. Say I have a contract with you so that every week I give you 50 and you paint my chicken coup (I want it to be a different color every week to confuse the chickens). Now one day, you say you will terminate my contract unless I pay 55 instead. Is this you getting 5 for nothing (this is the delta between the old contract and the purposed one) or is it you getting 55 and I getting a painted coup? Well, as long as the contract allowed you or I to end the arrangement at any time, I'd say it was the latter.