diff --git a/dev/run-tests b/dev/run-tests
index 0e24515d1376c..132f696d6447a 100755
--- a/dev/run-tests
+++ b/dev/run-tests
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ if [ -n "$AMPLAB_JENKINS" ]; then
   diffs=`git diff --name-only master | grep "^sql/"`
   if [ -n "$diffs" ]; then
     echo "Detected changes in SQL. Will run Hive test suite."
-    export _RUN_SQL_TESTS=true # exported for PySpark tests
+    _RUN_SQL_TESTS=true
   fi
 fi
 
@@ -89,13 +89,22 @@ echo "========================================================================="
 echo "Running Spark unit tests"
 echo "========================================================================="
 
+# Build Spark; we always build with Hive because the PySpark SparkSQL tests need it.
+# echo "q" is needed because sbt on encountering a build file with failure
+# (either resolution or compilation) prompts the user for input either q, r,
+# etc to quit or retry. This echo is there to make it not block.
+BUILD_MVN_PROFILE_ARGS="$SBT_MAVEN_PROFILES_ARGS -Phive -Phive-thriftserver "
+echo -e "q\n" | sbt/sbt $BUILD_MVN_PROFILE_ARGS clean package assembly/assembly | \
+  grep -v -e "info.*Resolving" -e "warn.*Merging" -e "info.*Including"
+
+# If the Spark SQL tests are enabled, run the tests with the Hive profiles enabled:
 if [ -n "$_RUN_SQL_TESTS" ]; then
   SBT_MAVEN_PROFILES_ARGS="$SBT_MAVEN_PROFILES_ARGS -Phive -Phive-thriftserver"
 fi
-# echo "q" is needed because sbt on encountering a build file with failure 
-# (either resolution or compilation) prompts the user for input either q, r, 
+# echo "q" is needed because sbt on encountering a build file with failure
+# (either resolution or compilation) prompts the user for input either q, r,
 # etc to quit or retry. This echo is there to make it not block.
-echo -e "q\n" | sbt/sbt $SBT_MAVEN_PROFILES_ARGS clean package assembly/assembly test | \
+echo -e "q\n" | sbt/sbt $SBT_MAVEN_PROFILES_ARGS test | \
   grep -v -e "info.*Resolving" -e "warn.*Merging" -e "info.*Including"
 
 echo ""
diff --git a/python/pyspark/rdd.py b/python/pyspark/rdd.py
index 240381e5bae12..ff0da1d0c2e34 100644
--- a/python/pyspark/rdd.py
+++ b/python/pyspark/rdd.py
@@ -1810,7 +1810,7 @@ def _jrdd(self):
             self._jrdd_deserializer = NoOpSerializer()
         command = (self.func, self._prev_jrdd_deserializer,
                    self._jrdd_deserializer)
-        ser = CompressedSerializer(CloudPickleSerializer())
+        ser = CloudPickleSerializer()
         pickled_command = ser.dumps(command)
         broadcast_vars = ListConverter().convert(
             [x._jbroadcast for x in self.ctx._pickled_broadcast_vars],
diff --git a/python/pyspark/worker.py b/python/pyspark/worker.py
index 77a9c4a0e0677..6805063e06798 100644
--- a/python/pyspark/worker.py
+++ b/python/pyspark/worker.py
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ def main(infile, outfile):
             value = ser._read_with_length(infile)
             _broadcastRegistry[bid] = Broadcast(bid, value)
 
-        command = ser._read_with_length(infile)
+        command = pickleSer._read_with_length(infile)
         (func, deserializer, serializer) = command
         init_time = time.time()
         iterator = deserializer.load_stream(infile)
diff --git a/python/run-tests b/python/run-tests
index 1218edcbd7e08..8a7d0964fe50f 100755
--- a/python/run-tests
+++ b/python/run-tests
@@ -59,9 +59,7 @@ $PYSPARK_PYTHON --version
 run_test "pyspark/rdd.py"
 run_test "pyspark/context.py"
 run_test "pyspark/conf.py"
-if [ -n "$_RUN_SQL_TESTS" ]; then
-  run_test "pyspark/sql.py"
-fi
+run_test "pyspark/sql.py"
 # These tests are included in the module-level docs, and so must
 # be handled on a higher level rather than within the python file.
 export PYSPARK_DOC_TEST=1