wage assignment colorado

Cheryl Orr and Heather Sager discuss wage deductions in a BLR webinar entitled ‘Wage Payments: What You Can and Can’t Legally Deduct from Employees’ Pay’. They provide the following information about wage deductions and wage assignments.

• Wage deductions can be voluntary or involuntary
• There is also a distinction between a wage assignment and a wage garnishment
• An wage assignment is typically something that is voluntary. It does not occur frequently
• A wage garnishment implies that a portion of the employee’s wages is going to someone else. Usually, wage garnishments are not voluntary.
• A garnishment is a court order. However, an assignment is usually something that an employee proactively seeks out or proactively negotiates with their employer. In the case of a garnishment, the employee really has no choice but the comply with the court order or the employee can choose to see an exemption
• An assignment can be treated similarly to a garnishment, but is more voluntary rather than the creditor needing to obtain a court document forces the garnishment of wages
• The employer should obtain proper documentation that shows that the employee agrees to the assignment of wages

Cheryl D. Orr, Esq. is a partner and co-chair of the national Labor and Employment Practice Group at Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP ( www.drinkerbiddle.com ). She concentrates her practice on defending employers against FLSA collective actions and state and federal wage and hour class actions, and she regularly litigates discrimination, harassment, and unfair competition claims, conducts high-level workplace investigations, develops plans for reductions in force, and offers employer advice and counseling. Orr frequently lectures on employment law topics.

Heather M. Sager, Esq. is also a partner in the Labor and Employment Practice Group at Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. Sager focuses her practice on management-side representation in collective and class actions, with particular experience in wage and hour litigation under state and federal law, including representative claims brought under California Business & Professions Code Section 17200. She also regularly handles single and multi-plaintiff employment litigation in the areas of unfair competition, wrongful discharge, harassment and discrimination before state and federal courts and administrative agencies. In addition, Sager regularly provides management training seminars and advice and counsel on reductions in force, employee relations, and workplace policies and procedures for the firm’s clients.

Voluntary Wage Assignments and Why You Should Avoid Them At All Costs

You would never hand over your paycheck to a creditor, would you?  Of course if you were under threat or order by a court you may hand over your paycheck; but never voluntarily. Right? Well, surprisingly many debtors do just that when they agree to “voluntary wage assignments.” A voluntary wage assignment is an agreement between a creditor and debtor that says the lender can deduct a certain amount of money from the debtor’s paycheck to repay a loan.

Voluntary wage assignments are commonly used by payday lenders. Surprised? You shouldn’t be.  Payday lenders understand that the reason debtors use their “services” is because they are financially strapped and desperate for cash.  But because their interest rates and fees are astronomically high, most debtors experience “payment shock” and may try to avoid paying them when the bill is due. So to protect their interests in the loan, payday lenders are now using voluntary wage assignments to increase their chances of getting paid.

How Voluntary Wage Assignment  Works

A voluntary wage assignment works just like a wage garnishment , except that the debtor has agreed to it. If a debtor defaults on the payday loan, the lender can then garnish the debtor’s wages without going to court. Once a debtor defaults on their payday loan, the lender will send the debtor a notice informing them that they plan to implement the voluntary wage assignment (i.e. wage garnishment).  This usually happens 20 days before the wage assignment notice is sent to the employer.   A wage assignment is valid for up to 3 years . In other words, the payday lender could technically garnish your wages for 3 years or until the loan is repaid.

For obvious reasons, agreeing to a wage assignment isn’t smart. You give the payday lender access to your wages and make it easier for them when you are not legally required to do so.  Signing a voluntary wage assignment can place you and your family in dire straits, if the lender garnishes wages that you need for your mortgage/rent, food and medical care. If you have signed a voluntary wage garnishment, you can revoke the agreement by sending the lender a letter.  Remember, Payday Loans are Dischargeable in Bankruptcy

Have Any Questions About Bankruptcy?

If you have a question or would like to see if bankruptcy is right for you, feel free to call us or fill out are  contact form  and we would be more than happy to help you.

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2022 Colorado Code Title 14 - Domestic Matters Article 14 - Child Support Enforcement Procedures § 14-14-111.5. Income Assignments for Child Support or Maintenance

• Legislative declaration. The general assembly hereby finds and declares that, for the good of the children of Colorado and to promote family self-sufficiency, there is a need to strengthen Colorado's child support enforcement laws and to simplify, streamline, and clarify the existing laws relating to wage assignments previously provided for in section 14-14-107 and immediate deductions for family support obligations previously provided for in section 14-14-111. In support of this effort, the general assembly hereby adopts the term "income assignment" to be used to provide consistency and standardization of the process for collecting child support and maintenance.
• Whenever an obligation for child support, maintenance, child support when combined with maintenance, retroactive support, medical support, child support arrears, or child support debt is initially determined, whether temporary or permanent or whether modified, the amount of child support, maintenance, child support when combined with maintenance, retroactive support, medical support, child support arrears, or child support debt shall be ordered by the court or delegate child support enforcement unit to be activated immediately as an income assignment subject to section 13-54-104 (3), from the income, as defined in section 14-10-115 (3), that is due or is to become due in the future from the obligor's employer, employers, or successor employers or other payor of funds, regardless of the source, of the person obligated to pay the child support, maintenance, child support when combined with maintenance, retroactive support, medical support, child support arrears, or child support debt.
• The name, date of birth, and sex of each child for whom the support is ordered;
• The obligee's name, residential and mailing addresses, and date of birth;
• The total amount of current support to be paid monthly in each category of support;
• The date of commencement of the order and the date or dates of the month that the payments are due;
• The total amount of arrears that is due, if any, in each category of support as of the date of the order; and
• The obligor's name, residential and mailing addresses, and date of birth.

(B) Unless an income assignment is required to be immediately activated pursuant to subsection (3)(a)(I)(A) of this section, or the income assignment is not subject to immediate activation pursuant to subsection (3)(a)(II) of this section, an income assignment may be immediately activated by the obligee, the obligee's representative, or the delegate child support enforcement unit by causing a notice to withhold income for support to be served upon the employer, trustee, or other payor of funds pursuant to subsection (4) of this section.

(II) Exceptions to immediate activation of income assignments. Income is not subject to immediate activation of an income assignment pursuant to this subsection (3)(a) in any case in which:

• One of the parties demonstrates, and the court or the delegate child support enforcement unit finds in writing, that there is good cause not to require immediate activation of an income assignment. For the purposes of this sub-subparagraph (A), "good cause" means the following: There is a written determination and explanation by the court or delegate child support enforcement unit stating why implementing immediate activation of an income assignment would not be in the best interests of the child; and the obligor has signed a written agreement to keep the delegate child support enforcement unit, the obligee, or the obligee's representative informed of the obligor's current employer and information on any health insurance coverage to which the obligor has access; and proof is provided that the obligor made timely payments without the necessity of income assignment in previously ordered child support obligations.
• A written agreement is reached between both parties that provides for an alternative arrangement, and such agreement is reviewed and approved in the record by the court. For purposes of this subsection (3)(a)(II)(B), the delegate child support enforcement unit is considered a party in all cases in which the custodian of a child is receiving support enforcement services from a delegate child support enforcement unit pursuant to section 26-13-106 (1) and as such must consent to the alternative written agreement. In all cases in which the custodian of a child is receiving support enforcement services from a delegate child support enforcement unit pursuant to section 26-13-106 (2), the obligee or the obligee's representative shall provide the delegate child support enforcement unit with notice of any agreement reached between the parties pursuant to this subsection (3)(a)(II)(B).
• If the obligor files an objection, the court shall set and hold a hearing within forty-two days after the date the income assignment was issued. The court shall deny the objection without hearing if a defense in subsection (3)(a)(VII)(B) of this section is not alleged.
• At a hearing on an objection, the sole issue before the court is whether there was a mistake of fact as specified in sub-subparagraph (B) of this subparagraph (VII).
• At a hearing on an objection, reasonable attorney fees and costs may be awarded to the prevailing party.
• If an objection is based on the amount of arrears, the income assignment may be activated and enforced as to current support obligations, and the activation of the income assignment as to arrears shall be stayed pending the outcome of a hearing on such objection.
• to (III) Repealed.

(IV) Agreement to activate. When an income assignment is activated pursuant to this subsection (3) and arrears are owed, as verified by the affidavit of arrears, the parties may agree to an amount of payment on the arrears, or the court or delegate child support enforcement unit may determine an appropriate amount for payment.

(V) Repealed.

(VI) A payment on arrears, plus interest, for support, if any, shall be included in an activated income assignment; however, the combined payment on current support and arrears is subject to section 13-54-104 (3), C.R.S.

(VII) Objections to income assignment. (A) The obligor may file with the court a written objection to the activation of an income assignment pursuant to this subsection (3) no later than fourteen days after actual notice. The obligor shall mail a copy of the written objection to the obligee or the obligee's representative.

(B) The objection shall be limited to the defense that there is a mistake of fact such as an error in the identity of the obligor or in the amount of the support.

• Except as provided in subsection (4)(b) of this section, a notice to withhold income for support must be served upon the employer, trustee, or other payor of funds by first-class mail or by electronic service if the employer, trustee, or other payor of funds mutually agrees with the state child support enforcement agency to receive such income assignments electronically. Receipt of notice by the employer, trustee, or other payor of funds confers jurisdiction of the court over the employer, trustee, or other payor of funds.
• A notice to withhold income for support is not required if the obligor's source of income is unemployment compensation benefits and the custodian of the child is receiving support enforcement services pursuant to section 26-13-106. In such cases, the state child support enforcement agency shall electronically intercept the unemployment compensation benefits through an automated interface with the department of labor and employment.
• The name and social security number of the obligor;
• A statement that withholding must begin no later than the first pay period that begins at least fourteen working days after the date on the notice to withhold income for support;
• The amount to be withheld for current support and current maintenance when included in the child support order, the amount to be withheld for past due support, the amount to be withheld for past due maintenance when included in the child support order, the amount to be withheld for child support debt, the amount to be withheld for medical support, the amount to be withheld for current maintenance, the amount to be withheld for past due maintenance per month, and the amount to be withheld for processing fees, if any. In the event that the pay periods of the employer are more frequent, the employer shall withhold per pay period an appropriate percentage of the monthly amount due so that the total withheld during the month will total the monthly amount due.
• A statement that the employer, trustee, or other payor of funds may deduct a fee to defray the cost of withholding and that the employer, trustee, or other payor of funds shall refer to the laws governing the work state of the employee for the allowable amount of such fee; and
• That, if section 13-54-104 (3) applies, the employer, trustee, or other payor of funds shall not withhold more than the limitations set by said section;
• Must be forwarded within seven working days after the date of each deduction and withholding would have been paid or credited to the employee;
• Must be forwarded to the address indicated on the notice;
• Must be identified by the remittance identifier, the name and social security number of each obligor, the date the deduction was made, the amount of the payment, and the family support registry account number for cases ordered to be paid through the family support registry; and
• May be combined with other disbursements in a single payment to the family support registry, if required to be sent to the registry, if the individual amount of each disbursement is identified as required by subsection (4)(c)(IV)(C) of this section;
• A statement specifying whether or not the obligor is required to provide health insurance for the children who are the subject of the order;
• A statement that, if the employer, trustee, or other payor of funds fails to withhold income as the notice to withhold income for support directs, the employer, trustee, or other payor of funds is liable for both the accumulated amount that should have been withheld from the obligor's income and any other penalties set by state law;
• A statement that the employer, trustee, or other payor of funds is subject to a fine determined pursuant to state law for discharging an obligor from employment, refusing to employ an obligor, or taking disciplinary action against an obligor because of a notice to withhold income for support;
• A statement that the employer shall notify the family support registry, in writing, if payments are required to be made through the registry promptly after the obligor terminates employment and that the employer shall provide the family support registry, in writing, with the obligor's name; date of separation; case identifier, which is the family support registry account number; last-known home address; and the name and address of the obligor's new employer, if known;
• A statement that withholding under the notice to withhold income for support has priority over any other legal process under state law against the same income, that federal tax levies in effect before receipt of this notice to withhold income for support have priority, and that the requesting agency should be contacted if there are federal tax levies in effect;
• A statement that as long as the obligor is employed by the employer, the income assignment must not be terminated or modified, except upon written notice by the obligee, the obligee's representative, the delegate child support enforcement unit, or the court;
• A statement that the employer, trustee, or other payor of funds is required to report and withhold amounts from lump sum payments such as bonuses, commissions, or severance pay;
• A statement that Colorado employers, trustees, or other payors of funds must comply with this section;
• A statement that, if the designated field on the notice to withhold income for support is checked, the employer, trustee, or other payor of funds is required to provide a copy of the notice to withhold income for support to the obligor; and
• A statement that a fraudulent submission of a notice to withhold income for support subjects the person submitting the notice to an employer, trustee, or other payor of funds to a fine of not less than one thousand dollars and court costs and attorney fees.

(4.5) When a Colorado employer receives an income assignment, or its equivalent, issued by another state, the employer shall apply the income assignment law of the obligor's principal state of employment. The obligor's principal state of employment shall be presumed to be Colorado unless there is a specific employment contract to the contrary.

(4.7) Income assignments must be paid through the family support registry pursuant to section 26-13-114.

• When activated, an income assignment shall be a continuing income assignment and shall remain in effect and shall be binding upon any employer, trustee, or other payer of funds upon whom it is served until further notice from the obligee, the obligee's representative, the delegate child support enforcement unit, or the court.
• A notice of income assignment for support shall have priority over any garnishment, attachment, or lien.
• First priority shall be given to income assignments for orders for current monthly child support obligations and maintenance when included in the child support order.
• If the amount withheld is sufficient to pay the current monthly support and maintenance for all orders, the employer or other payer of funds shall distribute the amount to all orders and proceed to the second priority to distribute any remaining withholding. If the amount withheld is not sufficient to pay the current monthly support and maintenance in all orders, the employer shall add the current monthly support and maintenance in all orders for a total and then divide the amount of current monthly support and maintenance in each order by the total to determine the percent of the total for each order. The percent for each order derived from such calculation shall be multiplied by the total amount withheld to determine what proportionate share of the amount withheld shall be paid for each order.
• Second priority shall be given to income assignments for all orders for medical support when there is a specific amount ordered for medical support.
• If the amount withheld is sufficient to pay the medical support for all orders, the employer shall distribute the amount to all orders and proceed to the third priority to distribute any remaining withholding. If the amount withheld is not sufficient to pay the medical support in all orders, the employer shall add the medical support in all orders for a total and then divide the amount of medical support in each order by the total to determine the percent of the total for each order. The percent for each order derived from such calculation shall be multiplied by the total amount withheld to determine what proportionate share of the amount withheld shall be paid for each order.
• Third priority shall be given to income assignments for child support debt and support arrears, including medical support arrears.
• If the amount withheld is sufficient to pay the child support debt and support arrears for all orders, the employer shall distribute the amount to all orders and proceed to the fourth priority to distribute any remaining withholding. If the amount withheld is not sufficient to pay the child support debt and support arrears in all orders, the employer shall add the child support debt and support arrears in all orders for a total and then divide the amount of child support debt and support arrears in each order by the total to determine the percent of the total for each order. The percent for each order derived from such calculation shall be multiplied by the total amount withheld to determine what proportionate share of the amount withheld shall be paid for each order.
• Fourth priority shall be given to income assignments for orders for maintenance only.
• If the amount withheld is sufficient to pay the maintenance only for all orders, the employer shall distribute the amount to all orders. If the amount withheld is not sufficient to pay the maintenance only in all orders, the employer shall add the maintenance only in all orders for a total and then divide the amount of maintenance only in each order by the total to determine the percent of the total for each order. The percent for each order derived from such calculation shall be multiplied by the total amount withheld to determine what proportionate share of the amount withheld shall be paid for each order.
• No employer, trustee, or other payer of funds who complies with a notice of income assignment issued pursuant to this section and as provided in subsection (8) of this section shall be liable to the obligor for wrongful withholding.
• Fails to abide by the terms enumerated in the notice of income assignment may be held in contempt of court;
• Wrongfully fails to withhold income in accordance with the provisions of this section shall be liable for both the accumulated amount the employer, trustee, or other payer of funds should have withheld from the obligor's income and any other penalties set by state law;
• Discharges, refuses to hire, or takes disciplinary action against an employee because of the entry or service of an income assignment pursuant to this section may be held in contempt of court or be subject to a fine.
• If an employer discharges an employee in violation of the provisions of this section, the employee may, within ninety-one days, bring a civil action for the recovery of wages lost as a result of the violation and for an order requiring the reinstatement of the employee. Damages recoverable shall be lost wages not to exceed six weeks, costs, and reasonable attorney fees.
• The obligee, the obligee's representative, the delegate child support enforcement unit, or the court shall promptly notify the employer, trustee, or other payer of funds, in writing, when an income assignment is modified or terminated.
• The support order is modified by the court; or
• The arrears payment is modified pursuant to subsection (3)(b)(IV) of this section.
• An income assignment shall be terminated when all current maintenance when included in the child support order, past due support, past due maintenance when included in the child support order, child support debt, medical support, current monthly child support, current maintenance, past due maintenance, and processing fees, if any, owed under the support order are paid in full.
• Disbursements received from the employer, trustee, or other payer of funds by a delegate child support enforcement unit shall be promptly distributed.
• The clerk of the court shall provide, upon request, any information required by the parties about any support order or any order affecting an order for support, including judgments and registered orders.
• The department of human services is hereby designated as the income withholding agency as required by the federal "Social Security Act", as amended.
• This section applies to any action brought under this article or article 5, 6, or 10 of this title or under article 4 or 6 of title 19, C.R.S., or under article 13.5 of title 26, C.R.S.
• Nothing in this section shall affect the availability of any other method for collecting child support, maintenance, child support when combined with maintenance, retroactive support, medical support, child support arrears, or child support debt.

(16.3) The employer, trustee, or other payer of funds shall include with the first disbursement an indication of whether dependent health insurance coverage is available to the obligor and whether the obligor has elected to enroll the dependents who are the subject of the order in such coverage and that such information shall be included in a disbursement at least annually thereafter or at the next disbursement in the event of any change in the status of health insurance availability or coverage.

(16.5) The employer shall not be required to collect, possess, or control the obligor's tips, and any such tips shall not be owed by an employer to an obligor.

(16.7) The employer, trustee, or other payer of funds may extract a processing fee of up to five dollars per month from the remainder of the obligor's income after the deduction and withholding.

• For purposes of this section, unless the context otherwise requires, "income" means wages as defined in section 14-14-102 (9).
• (Deleted by amendment, L. 2000, p. 1704 , § 2, effective July 1, 2000.)

(19) [ Editor's note: This version of subsection (19) is effective March 1, 2022. ] A person submitting a fraudulent notice to withhold income for support to an employer, trustee, or other payor of funds commits a civil infraction.

Source: L. 96: Entire section added, p. 600, § 12, effective July 1. L. 97: (2)(f), IP(4), (4)(d)(I), (4)(i), and (8)(c) amended and (4.5) and (18) added, p. 1271, § 10, effective July 1. L. 98: (3)(b)(III) amended, p. 766, § 15, effective July 1. L. 99: (2)(f)(II) amended, p. 1085, § 3, effective July 1. L. 2000: (2)(a)(II)(E), IP(4), (4), (8)(b), (10)(c), and (18) amended and (4)(m), (4)(n), (16.3), (16.5), (16.7), and (19) added, pp. 1704, 1708, §§ 2, 3, effective July 1. L. 2002: IP(4) amended, p. 23, § 2, effective July 1. L. 2007: (2)(f)(I) amended, p. 108, § 4, effective March 16. L. 2011: IP(4) amended, (SB 11-123), ch. 46, p. 119, § 4, effective August 10. L. 2012: (3)(b)(II)(I), (3)(b)(II)(K), (3)(b)(VII)(A), (3)(b)(VII)(C), IP(4), and (9) amended, (SB 12-175), ch. 208, p. 835, § 38, effective July 1. L. 2021: (2), IP(3), (3)(a)(I), IP(3)(a)(II), (3)(a)(II)(B), (3)(b)(IV), (3)(b)(VII)(A), (3)(b)(VII)(C), (4), and (10)(b) amended, (3)(b)(I), (3)(b)(II), (3)(b)(III), and (3)(b)(V) repealed, and (4.7) added (HB 21-1220), ch. 212, p. 1121, § 4, effective July 1; (19) amended, (SB 21-271), ch. 462, p. 3159, § 161, effective March 1, 2022.

Editor's note: Section 803(2) of chapter 462 (SB 21-271), Session Laws of Colorado 2021, provides that the act changing this section applies to offenses committed on or after March 1, 2022.

Cross references: For the legislative declaration contained in the 1997 act amending subsection (2)(f), the introductory portion to subsection (4), and subsections (4)(d)(I), (4)(i), and (8)(c) and enacting subsections (4.5) and (18), see section 1 of chapter 236, Session Laws of Colorado 1997.

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The Colorado Sun

Telling stories that matter in a dynamic, evolving state.

More than 100 Front Range Community College instructors have had to wait for their summer paychecks

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The Trust Project

When Laura Wally learned that her paycheck would not be landing in her bank account in mid-June as scheduled, she considered selling plasma and applying for government assistance for food. Since then, she has depleted her emergency fund, borrowed money from family members and picked up a side gig delivering groceries through Instacart.

All while teaching chemistry at Front Range Community College’s Larimer Campus in Fort Collins this summer.

Wally is one of 105 instructors at the community college whose paychecks have shown up late this summer, stretching their already tight budgets. She has since received the amount she was owed, plus a $500 stipend, and Wally’s colleagues had all received their missing checks by Friday, college administrators say. Some instructors experienced similar paycheck delays during the fall and spring semesters.

“It really makes me honestly wonder if I want to keep working for Front Range,” said Wally, who has taught at the college since 2015. “I love my students and chemistry is a hard subject and I want to be able to help them with that, but how long do you struggle as a professional teacher with a graduate degree?”

The payroll lag falls as many adjunct instructors across Colorado campuses have in recent years called more attention to their wages — citing chronic struggles of barely scraping by — and urged lawmakers to grant them the right to unionize and negotiate for wages, benefits and working conditions. During the 2022 legislative session, a highly controversial bill that became law, Senate Bill 230 , cleared the way for collective bargaining among county employees but did not extend the same organizing powers to higher education employees.

John Kinsey, faculty senate president at Front Range Community College’s Westminster campus, describes the pattern of payroll delays as a string of crises that have frustrated instructors, who he said have “the least stability and the least support.”

“It seems like we’ve picked up speed every time we’ve hit this roadblock, but then the question is, why do we keep hitting this roadblock?” said Kinsey, who has taught philosophy at the Westminster campus but is not currently teaching. “I’d say that the college is in a state of instability, and the fact that we keep hitting this roadblock is the strongest evidence of that instability.”

Front Range Community College administrators say the pay delay stems from a combination of factors, including staff turnover, human error and the race to train new employees on processes such as payroll.

The college — which has campuses in Longmont, Westminster and Fort Collins along with an online program — typically begins the process for paying instructors several weeks before the beginning of each semester, according to Rebecca Woulfe, provost and vice president of academic affairs of the community college.

The electronic system that is the hub for faculty and instructor contracts had a default date set up marking when instructors would be paid. The default pay date for the summer semester, which started May 28, was June 28. The college aimed to pay its instructors sooner, however, and the only way to do that was to manually change the pay date, Woulfe said.

The institution did not update the default pay date for every instructor, which is what led to later paychecks.

Staff turnover — which Woulfe said has recently been at about 15% — has contributed to the challenge to get checks ready for staff, particularly as new employees have had to undergo training.

“It’s difficult to take time to get in depth as much as you’d like to (with training) and practice as much as you’d like to before folks go live,” said Matthew Jamison, the college’s associate vice president for academic success.

The school previously stumbled with paying two instructors on time during the spring semester and 12 in the fall. Part of the spring hiccup stemmed from a major restructuring to consolidate the three campuses instead of each continuing to operate independently, according to Woulfe.

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The college doled out $500 stipends to all instructors waiting for their paychecks this summer in hopes of restoring faith in the institution and offered financial assistance through its nonprofit foundation, Woulfe said. The college is also updating its training materials, holding meetings with staff and re-evaluating its processes for contracts to prevent another payment slowdown for instructors.

“We recognize that we couldn’t run this institution without them,” she said. “They are critical to the success of this institution, to our student success, to the work that we do.”

The Front Range Community College Chapter of American Association of University Professors released a statement last week criticizing the college for continuing to fail to pay instructors on time.

“Delaying instructors’ paychecks places an undue burden on employees who are already struggling to make ends meet,” the statement noted, calling the institution’s errors “unacceptable when employees live on an economic razor’s edge.”

Weighing whether to stay for the students or leave for more money

Kinsey, the faculty senate president, said he is confident that the delay is not malicious but is caused by “overlapping bureaucratic miscommunication.” No matter the cause, he added, the delays are further straining instructors and threatening their financial security.

“From an instructor’s perspective, I would feel that my value wasn’t highly prioritized if I had to constantly struggle to even get the poverty wages that I was getting offered,” Kinsey said.

Wally, the chemistry professor, said she has missed payments to creditors and made late payments this summer because of the additional time it took to be fully compensated. Her pay has fluctuated throughout her time at Front Range Community College due to extra jobs she has picked up tutoring and working in the college’s writing center. This summer, she has been earning just over $600 a week while teaching fewer hours than she anticipated.

Wally decided to apply for unemployment benefits at the start of the summer because she was receiving less compensation since she was teaching fewer hours, but she has not received any unemployment funds. Meanwhile, she and her partner took on a roommate in their Longmont home in September after her partner lost his job. 

“If you aren’t making a living wage in northern Colorado, there’s no way you can save any money,” Wally said. “And so you’re living paycheck to paycheck. And if your paychecks, any amount is late, then you’re not buying groceries, you’re not paying rent or making a mortgage payment. You’re in trouble.”

Her students have kept her teaching at the community college year after year and, as she contemplates making a career change, she worries about whether they’ll receive the support they need if they have a revolving door of teachers. Throughout her time in the classroom, she has written letters of recommendation for students — including one for a recent student who secured $25,000 per year to attend a four-year university.

“If we’re truly a transient population of instructors,” Wally said, “that (support) doesn’t exist for those students and then (Front Range) students are disadvantaged.”

Corrections:

This story was corrected at 2:08 p.m. July 2, 2024, to report that all instructors had received their paychecks by Friday, according to community college administrators.

Type of Story: News

Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

Erica Breunlin Education Reporter

Erica Breunlin is an education writer for The Colorado Sun, where she has reported since 2019. Much of her work has traced the wide-ranging impacts of the pandemic on student learning and highlighted teachers' struggles with overwhelming workloads... More by Erica Breunlin