Late paychecks remain a persistent operational problem for contingent faculty and graduate employees, with recurring delays prompting union action and hardship for early‑career academics. Adjuncts report multiple late or missed paychecks per year, forcing some to borrow money or forgo basic expenses. Universities respond with ad hoc fixes—interest‑free transition loans, payroll reminders from unions and isolated process improvements—but the problem signals deeper administrative fragility in payroll systems and the precarious nature of contingent academic labor. Unions and faculty leaders say reliable, timely payroll is a basic workplace standard; failures to meet it risk recruitment challenges and damage relationships with the very instructors who deliver core teaching capacity.