WARROAD, PA - Marvin Windows hews to its pledge to avoid layoffs. Family management has trimmed perks and benefits, cuts hours, but tells the New York Times it plans to tough it out.

A voluntary weekly reduction in hours to 32, and employee attrition, has reduced employment to 4,300 at its four plants. Industry-wide window shipments for new construction have fallen 70 percent, to 11.9 million, from their peak in 2005.

Employee profit-sharing has been suspended, but Suan Marvin says maintaining skilled workers and capacity has allowed the firm to gain market share as rivals Jeld-Wen and Pella cut staff and reduce capacity.

“Housing isn’t in a recession. It’s in a depression,”Marvin told the Times. “You can’t cut your way to prosperity. You can’t grow if you are cutting your lifeblood — and that’s the skills and experience your work force delivers.”

New housing starts topped out in 2005 at over two million, when 34.1 million windows were shipped for new construction. Marvin told the Times new housing accounts for just 25 percent of its business, down from 60 percent in 2005.

The Times recaps competitor window retrenchments: Jeld-Wen closed 21 facilities and reduced its work force 25 percent, citing Standard & Poor’s. Pella, wth 8,000 employees, told the Times it closed plants in Iowa and Arizona,laying off 300, in order to remain profitable. (Read the New York Times coverage of Marvin Window, Pella and Jeld-Wen here.)