Wynn Las Vegas and several lobbying groups for businesses that depend on tipped employees have filed a lawsuit to block a union's attempt to roll back the Las Vegas Strip resort's pooled tip policy.

   Documents filed in Carson City District Court ask a judge to throw out a petition aimed at creating a ballot initiative to amend state labor law and prohibit employers "from requiring the employee to share tips with certain other employees."

   The initiative proposed by the International Union of Gaming Employees through its "Committee to Prevent Employers from Seizing Tips" also would define which employees would be eligible to participate in tip sharing.

    Plaintiffs in the lawsuit include Wynn Las Vegas, the Nevada Restaurant Association, the Retail Association of Nevada, the Nevada Motor Transport Association, Nevada Manufacturers Association and the Nevada Tavern Association.

 Wynn dealer protests tip pooling in May 2007

Carson City attorney Bob Crowell, who is representing Wynn and the advocacy  groups,  said  the   petition violates a state law requiring petitions to deal with a single subject. Mary Lau, chief of the retail association, said the initiative also is broad enough to apply to other industries.

    The petition was filed in late January by the PEST Committee, which is backed by the nonprofit union. The union needs to collect at least 58,628 signatures from supporters by Nov. 11 to put the issue before the 2009 Legislature or put it before voters. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press.   All Rights Reserved.)