diff --git a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/CHANGES.txt b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/CHANGES.txt
index 1c4da8c8abb..142236dfbb8 100644
--- a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/CHANGES.txt
@@ -1328,6 +1328,9 @@ Release 0.23.0 - Unreleased
     MAPREDUCE-3038. job history server not starting because conf() missing
     HsController (Jeffrey Naisbitt via mahadev)
 
+    MAPREDUCE-3004. Fix ReduceTask to not assume 'local' mode in YARN. (Hitesh
+    Shah via acmurthy)
+
 Release 0.22.0 - Unreleased
 
   INCOMPATIBLE CHANGES
diff --git a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-core/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapred/ReduceTask.java b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-core/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapred/ReduceTask.java
index a65e1af3fe1..f278c8528ce 100644
--- a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-core/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapred/ReduceTask.java
+++ b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-core/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapred/ReduceTask.java
@@ -340,7 +340,14 @@ public class ReduceTask extends Task {
     // Initialize the codec
     codec = initCodec();
     RawKeyValueIterator rIter = null;
-    boolean isLocal = "local".equals(job.get(MRConfig.MASTER_ADDRESS, "local"));
+    
+    boolean isLocal = false; 
+    // local iff framework == classic && master address == local
+    String framework = job.get(MRConfig.FRAMEWORK_NAME, MRConfig.CLASSIC_FRAMEWORK_NAME);
+    if (framework.equals(MRConfig.CLASSIC_FRAMEWORK_NAME)) {
+    	isLocal = "local".equals(job.get(MRConfig.MASTER_ADDRESS, "local"));        	
+    }
+    
     if (!isLocal) {
       Class combinerClass = conf.getCombinerClass();
       CombineOutputCollector combineCollector = 
diff --git a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-core/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/MRConfig.java b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-core/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/MRConfig.java
index e52d52b9f1b..2a9823c3854 100644
--- a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-core/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/MRConfig.java
+++ b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-core/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/MRConfig.java
@@ -65,6 +65,9 @@ public interface MRConfig {
     "mapreduce.jobtracker.kerberos.principal";
 
   public static final String FRAMEWORK_NAME  = "mapreduce.framework.name";
+  public static final String CLASSIC_FRAMEWORK_NAME  = "classic";
+  public static final String YARN_FRAMEWORK_NAME  = "yarn";
+
   public static final String TASK_LOCAL_OUTPUT_CLASS =
   "mapreduce.task.local.output.class";
 }
diff --git a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-jobclient/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapred/YarnClientProtocolProvider.java b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-jobclient/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapred/YarnClientProtocolProvider.java
index 74bd303d068..596c2d8bc86 100644
--- a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-jobclient/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapred/YarnClientProtocolProvider.java
+++ b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-jobclient/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapred/YarnClientProtocolProvider.java
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ public class YarnClientProtocolProvider extends ClientProtocolProvider {
 
   @Override
   public ClientProtocol create(Configuration conf) throws IOException {
-    if ("yarn".equals(conf.get(MRConfig.FRAMEWORK_NAME))) {
+    if (MRConfig.YARN_FRAMEWORK_NAME.equals(conf.get(MRConfig.FRAMEWORK_NAME))) {
       return new YARNRunner(new YarnConfiguration(conf));
     }
     return null;
diff --git a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-jobclient/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapred/TestClientRedirect.java b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-jobclient/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapred/TestClientRedirect.java
index 928f25288d0..e2cb1e05ea7 100644
--- a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-jobclient/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapred/TestClientRedirect.java
+++ b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-jobclient/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapred/TestClientRedirect.java
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ public class TestClientRedirect {
   public void testRedirect() throws Exception {
     
     Configuration conf = new YarnConfiguration();
-    conf.set(MRConfig.FRAMEWORK_NAME, "yarn");
+    conf.set(MRConfig.FRAMEWORK_NAME, MRConfig.YARN_FRAMEWORK_NAME);
     conf.set(YarnConfiguration.RM_ADDRESS, RMADDRESS);
     conf.set(JHAdminConfig.MR_HISTORY_ADDRESS, HSHOSTADDRESS);
     RMService rmService = new RMService("test");
diff --git a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-jobclient/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/MiniMRYarnCluster.java b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-jobclient/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/MiniMRYarnCluster.java
index 5af3e7775f6..888e66d3a58 100644
--- a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-jobclient/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/MiniMRYarnCluster.java
+++ b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-jobclient/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/MiniMRYarnCluster.java
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ public class MiniMRYarnCluster extends MiniYARNCluster {
 
   @Override
   public void init(Configuration conf) {
-    conf.set(MRConfig.FRAMEWORK_NAME, "yarn");
+    conf.set(MRConfig.FRAMEWORK_NAME, MRConfig.YARN_FRAMEWORK_NAME);
     conf.set(MRJobConfig.USER_NAME, System.getProperty("user.name"));
     conf.set(MRJobConfig.MR_AM_STAGING_DIR, new File(getTestWorkDir(),
         "apps_staging_dir/${user.name}/").getAbsolutePath());
diff --git a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-jobclient/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/TestMRJobs.java b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-jobclient/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/TestMRJobs.java
index ff1dbc52c30..0a1943c013b 100644
--- a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-jobclient/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/TestMRJobs.java
+++ b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-jobclient/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/TestMRJobs.java
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.Counters;
 import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.Job;
 import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.JobCounter;
 import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.JobStatus;
+import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.MRConfig;
 import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.MRJobConfig;
 import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.Mapper;
 import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.TaskAttemptID;
@@ -133,11 +134,15 @@ public class TestMRJobs {
       return;
     }
 
+    Configuration sleepConf = new Configuration(mrCluster.getConfig());
+    // set master address to local to test that local mode applied iff framework == classic and master_address == local
+    sleepConf.set(MRConfig.MASTER_ADDRESS, "local");	
+    
     SleepJob sleepJob = new SleepJob();
-    sleepJob.setConf(mrCluster.getConfig());
-
-    int numReduces = mrCluster.getConfig().getInt("TestMRJobs.testSleepJob.reduces", 2); // or mrCluster.getConfig().getInt(MRJobConfig.NUM_REDUCES, 2);
+    sleepJob.setConf(sleepConf);
 
+    int numReduces = sleepConf.getInt("TestMRJobs.testSleepJob.reduces", 2); // or sleepConf.getConfig().getInt(MRJobConfig.NUM_REDUCES, 2);
+   
     // job with 3 maps (10s) and numReduces reduces (5s), 1 "record" each:
     Job job = sleepJob.createJob(3, numReduces, 10000, 1, 5000, 1);