LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Dealers at Wynn Las Vegas have voted overwhelming to join a union, ending months of heated debate and animosity that ensued after management imposed a controversial tip-sharing plan that hurt their earnings.

Dealers voted 444-149 in favor of being represented by the Transportation Workers Union of America, according to union organizer and baccarat dealer Dennis Laux. The vote was sanctioned by the National Labor Relations Board and held Saturday and early Sunday.

Prior to the vote, casino management had sought to justify their unusual tip-sharing plan -- implemented last September -- and cast the arrangement as a way to better compensate supervisors who were often making less money than dealers. Outraged dealers, however, said it shaved up to 20 percent off their tip income.

This weekend's vote also came despite a last-minute plea by Wynn Resorts chief executive Steve Wynn in meetings with dealers on Thursday, in which he called the tip-sharing plan "a big mistake."