Since 1980,labor union membership in the United States has been:

A) increasing absolutely and as a percentage of the labor force.
B) increasing absolutely but declining as a percentage of the labor force.
C) decreasing absolutely and as a percentage of the labor force.
D) decreasing absolutely but increasing as a percentage of the labor force.

Labor union membership in the United States has been decreasing absolutely and as a percentage of the labor force since 1980. In 1983, the percentage of workers in unions was 20.1%, but it decreased to 10.3% in 2019. This decline is due to a combination of factors such as global competition, automation, and changes in labor laws that have made organizing more difficult.