diff --git a/python-msgpack-0.4.4-pytest23.patch b/python-msgpack-0.4.4-pytest23.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cae2b81
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python-msgpack-0.4.4-pytest23.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+From f40fdf523a545035d3f6ee36a31d50993feac14b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
+From: Ken Dreyer <kdreyer@redhat.com>
+Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 12:22:28 -0700
+Subject: [PATCH] tests: add pytest 2.3 compatibility
+
+Adjust the skipif conditional to use the older pytest 2.3 syntax.
+
+(This allows the tests to pass with the system pytest package on RHEL
+7.0, since RHEL 7.0 ships pytest 2.3.5.)
+---
+ test/test_unpack.py | 2 +-
+ 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)
+
+diff --git a/test/test_unpack.py b/test/test_unpack.py
+index 8d0d949..c0d711c 100644
+--- a/test/test_unpack.py
++++ b/test/test_unpack.py
+@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ def test_unpack_array_header_from_file():
+         unpacker.unpack()
+ 
+ 
+-@mark.skipif(not hasattr(sys, 'getrefcount'),
++@mark.skipif("not hasattr(sys, 'getrefcount') == True",
+              reason='sys.getrefcount() is needed to pass this test')
+ def test_unpacker_hook_refcnt():
+     result = []
+-- 
+1.9.3
+
diff --git a/python-msgpack.spec b/python-msgpack.spec
index 91ce214..a45e974 100644
--- a/python-msgpack.spec
+++ b/python-msgpack.spec
@@ -4,14 +4,23 @@
 %global with_python3 1
 %endif
 
+%if 0%{?rhel} && 0%{?rhel} <= 6
+%{!?__python2: %global __python2 /usr/bin/python2}
+%{!?python2_sitelib: %global python2_sitelib %(%{__python2} -c "from distutils.sysconfig import get_python_lib; print(get_python_lib())")}
+%{!?python2_sitearch: %global python2_sitearch %(%{__python2} -c "from distutils.sysconfig import get_python_lib; print(get_python_lib(1))")}
+%endif
+
 Name:           python-%{srcname}
 Version:        0.4.4
-Release:        1%{?dist}
+Release:        2%{?dist}
 Summary:        A Python MessagePack (de)serializer
 
 License:        ASL 2.0
 URL:            http://pypi.python.org/pypi/msgpack-python/
 Source0:        http://pypi.python.org/packages/source/m/%{srcname}-python/%{srcname}-python-%{version}.tar.gz
+# Patch for older pytest on EL6 and EL7
+# https://github.com/msgpack/msgpack-python/pull/123
+Patch0:         python-msgpack-0.4.4-pytest23.patch
 
 BuildRequires:  python2-devel
 BuildRequires:  python-setuptools
@@ -47,6 +56,10 @@ This is a Python (de)serializer for MessagePack.
 %prep
 %setup -q -n %{srcname}-python-%{version}
 
+# Patch for older pytest on EL6 and EL7
+# https://github.com/msgpack/msgpack-python/pull/123
+%patch0 -p1
+
 %if 0%{?with_python3}
 rm -rf %{py3dir}
 cp -a . %{py3dir}
@@ -98,6 +111,10 @@ popd
 %endif
 
 %changelog
+* Fri Jan 23 2015 Ken Dreyer <ktdreyer@ktdreyer.com> - 0.4.4-2
+- Patch test suite for EL6 and EL7 compatibility (RHBZ #1182808)
+- Add python2 macros for EL6 compatibility (RHBZ #1182808)
+
 * Thu Jan 15 2015 Ken Dreyer <ktdreyer@ktdreyer.com> - 0.4.4-1
 - Update to latest upstream version 0.4.4 (RHBZ #1180507)
 - Add tests in %%check