Because Texas is a right-to-work state, employees cannot be forced to join or not to join, nor pay dues to a labor union as a requirement for employment. Texas, one of 21 right-to-work states, has low union membership compared to its neighbors. Kilgore has no union representation among its primary employers, and compared with its neighbors, Texas has a fairly low union representation rate of 6.7%. According to the Department of Labor, Arkansas has a rate of 7.7%, Louisiana has a rate of 10.1%, and Oklahoma 9.4%.