In an article published in the Fargo (N.D.) Forum newspaper, Susan Marvin, president of Marvin Windows and Doors makes her case for looking at jobs as more than numbers: “[L]ook behind those numbers, and you’ll find the real lives of workers and communities — and the profound effects of lost jobs.”

She explains:

Last year, I stood before more than 1,000 workers at our company’s flagship factory and told them we were reducing their weekly hours from 40 to 32.

They cheered.

Why? Because they were keeping their jobs. With the housing industry in the worst downturn of our lifetimes, our workers feared for their futures. They’d seen others in our business cut jobs and even close plants in response to the prolonged housing slump. When they learned we wouldn’t be following suit, it was an emotional moment.

Read the full piece at the Fargo Forum. The article also ran in the Grand Forks (N.D.) Herald.