BURLINGTON, Vt., April 9 – Sen. Bernie Sanders on Friday issued the following statement after workers at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama lost a vote to form a union:

“I am disappointed but not surprised by the vote. It is extraordinarily courageous for workers to take on one of the world’s wealthiest and most powerful corporations, a company that spent unlimited sums of money to defeat the organizing effort. It also appears that some of Amazon’s anti-union efforts may have been in violation of NLRB law. And that is something that the union is addressing with the NLRB right now.

“The fact that the company was able to force workers to attend closed door, anti-union meetings is just one reason as to why we need legislation that finally gives workers a fair chance to win organizing elections. Workers should not be intimidated, or badgered by a company because they are exercising their constitutional right to form a union.

“At a time of mass income and wealth inequality, and when workers have very little power on the job, I applaud the pro-union Amazon workers in Alabama for their courage and willingness to stand up for workers’ rights. They have been an inspiration to workers all across the country.”