> I've seen some unscrupulous departments making no sincere attempts to help students finish their PhD on time, then turn around and offer up scraps like hourly teaching "contracts" to teach their classes, after their PhD funding has run out.

That is getting increasingly difficult to pull off, since students (and attorneys) have figured out thatched can sue the university of the don‘t fulfil their part of the PhD agreement. Universities are totally paranoid about being sued, and all sorts of administrative arse-covering is the result.