diff -r cf70f030a744 Lib/multiprocessing/connection.py
--- a/Lib/multiprocessing/connection.py	Wed Jun 18 23:07:46 2014 -0400
+++ b/Lib/multiprocessing/connection.py	Mon Jun 23 22:01:21 2014 +0300
@@ -453,12 +453,22 @@
         s = self._conn.recv_bytes()
         return self._loads(s)
 
-def _xml_dumps(obj):
-    return xmlrpclib.dumps((obj,), None, None, None, 1).encode('utf8')
+try:
+    unicode
+except NameError:
+    def _xml_dumps(obj):
+        return xmlrpclib.dumps((obj,), None, None, None, 1)
 
-def _xml_loads(s):
-    (obj,), method = xmlrpclib.loads(s.decode('utf8'))
-    return obj
+    def _xml_loads(s):
+        (obj,), method = xmlrpclib.loads(s)
+        return obj
+else:
+    def _xml_dumps(obj):
+        return xmlrpclib.dumps((obj,), None, None, None, 1).encode('utf8')
+
+    def _xml_loads(s):
+        (obj,), method = xmlrpclib.loads(s.decode('utf8'))
+        return obj
 
 class XmlListener(Listener):
     def accept(self):
diff -r cf70f030a744 Lib/multiprocessing/sharedctypes.py
--- a/Lib/multiprocessing/sharedctypes.py	Wed Jun 18 23:07:46 2014 -0400
+++ b/Lib/multiprocessing/sharedctypes.py	Mon Jun 23 22:01:21 2014 +0300
@@ -46,13 +46,18 @@
 #
 
 typecode_to_type = {
-    'c': ctypes.c_char,  'u': ctypes.c_wchar,
+    'c': ctypes.c_char,
     'b': ctypes.c_byte,  'B': ctypes.c_ubyte,
     'h': ctypes.c_short, 'H': ctypes.c_ushort,
     'i': ctypes.c_int,   'I': ctypes.c_uint,
     'l': ctypes.c_long,  'L': ctypes.c_ulong,
     'f': ctypes.c_float, 'd': ctypes.c_double
     }
+try:
+    typecode_to_type['u'] = ctypes.c_wchar
+except AttributeError:
+    pass
+
 
 #
 #
diff -r cf70f030a744 Lib/test/test_multiprocessing.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_multiprocessing.py	Wed Jun 18 23:07:46 2014 -0400
+++ b/Lib/test/test_multiprocessing.py	Mon Jun 23 22:01:21 2014 +0300
@@ -2392,12 +2392,12 @@
         name = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), 'mp_fork_bomb.py')
         if WIN32:
             rc, out, err = test.script_helper.assert_python_failure(name)
-            self.assertEqual('', out.decode('ascii'))
-            self.assertIn('RuntimeError', err.decode('ascii'))
+            self.assertEqual('', out)
+            self.assertIn('RuntimeError', err)
         else:
             rc, out, err = test.script_helper.assert_python_ok(name)
-            self.assertEqual('123', out.decode('ascii').rstrip())
-            self.assertEqual('', err.decode('ascii'))
+            self.assertEqual('123', out.rstrip())
+            self.assertEqual('', err)
 
 #
 # Issue 12098: check sys.flags of child matches that for parent
@@ -2421,6 +2421,7 @@
         flags = (tuple(sys.flags), grandchild_flags)
         print(json.dumps(flags))
 
+    @test_support.requires_unicode  # XXX json needs unicode support
     def test_flags(self):
         import json, subprocess
         # start child process using unusual flags