diff --git a/gridtk/local.py b/gridtk/local.py
index 015d4cacc38c55d9c4944ae45537d5f50be6a3ec..e762941a06255d9c27e79935fe88b6dcc1fbf3ca 100644
--- a/gridtk/local.py
+++ b/gridtk/local.py
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ class JobManagerLocal(JobManager):
     """Finalizes the execution of the job by writing the stdout and stderr results into the according log files."""
     def write(file, std, process):
       f = std if file is None else open(str(file), 'w')
-      f.write(process.read())
+      f.write(process.read().decode('utf-8'))
 
     self.lock()
     # get the files to write to
diff --git a/gridtk/models.py b/gridtk/models.py
index aeda6d2276c529a4398f43ebcadf5d22841efa4d..de6541f12c6500be4d384889d10ee61bb6649c1d 100644
--- a/gridtk/models.py
+++ b/gridtk/models.py
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import sqlalchemy
-from sqlalchemy import Table, Column, Integer, String, Boolean, ForeignKey
-from bob.db.sqlalchemy_migration import Enum, relationship
-from sqlalchemy.orm import backref
+from sqlalchemy import Table, Column, Integer, String, Boolean, ForeignKey, Enum
+from sqlalchemy.orm import backref, relationship
 from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
 
 import os
@@ -9,8 +8,10 @@ import sys
 
 if sys.version_info[0] >= 3:
   from pickle import dumps, loads
+  python_3 = True
 else:
   from cPickle import dumps, loads
+  python_3 = False
 
 from .tools import logger
 
@@ -172,13 +173,13 @@ class Job(Base):
 
 
   def get_command_line(self):
-    return loads(str(self.command_line))
+    return loads(self.command_line) if python_3 else loads(str(self.command_line))
 
   def get_array(self):
-    return loads(str(self.array_string))
+    return loads(self.array_string) if python_3 else loads(str(self.array_string))
 
   def get_arguments(self):
-    return loads(str(self.grid_arguments))
+    return loads(self.grid_arguments) if python_3 else loads(str(self.grid_arguments))
 
   def get_jobs_we_wait_for(self):
     return [j.waited_for_job for j in self.jobs_we_have_to_wait_for if j.waited_for_job is not None]
diff --git a/gridtk/tests/__init__.py b/gridtk/tests/__init__.py
index e3f3d1ef72c1ca106863ae82eb5321959191877e..c8ea43a5a041b5a78e789e8d896aabab8052febc 100644
--- a/gridtk/tests/__init__.py
+++ b/gridtk/tests/__init__.py
@@ -173,7 +173,7 @@ class GridTKTest(unittest.TestCase):
     jman.main(['./bin/jman', '--database', self.database, 'list', '--print-array-jobs'])
 
     print()
-    # test that the list command still works
+    # test that the report command works
     jman.main(['./bin/jman', '--database', self.database, 'report'])
 
     # clean-up