Miller Brewing Co. Slashes 500 Jobs

Miller Brewing Co., the nation’s second biggest brewer, said Friday it would eliminate 500 salaried jobs, or about 18.5 percent of its salaried work force, because of competitive pressures to cut costs.

Miller said about 350 of the job cuts would be at its corporate offices in Milwaukee where it employs about 1,000 people. Another 150 jobs will be cut at other Miller locations. The cuts will be made by Nov. 16.

The brewer previously announced it would eliminate 200 production jobs at its Milwaukee brewery by October.

Miller’s performance in the first half of 1996 was “a little disappointing,” spokesman Michael Brophy said. He blamed the layoffs on dim expectations for growth.

“The big brewers, the second-tier brewers and the micro-breweries are all competing for share,” Brophy said. “The pie is simply not growing.”