diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index 05c1152..5c10cb3 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -24,7 +24,9 @@ jobs:
           echo "SLURM apt-get done, doing local configuration"
           host_s=$( hostname -s )
           if [ -f /etc/slurm/slurm.conf ]; then sudo mv /etc/slurm/slurm.conf /etc/slurm/slurm.conf.orig; fi
-          sudo bash -c 'gzip -cd /usr/share/doc/slurmd/examples/slurm.conf.simple.gz > /etc/slurm/slurm.conf'
+          # example config file no longer gzipped
+          ## sudo bash -c 'gzip -cd /usr/share/doc/slurmd/examples/slurm.conf.simple.gz > /etc/slurm/slurm.conf'
+          sudo bash -c 'cp       /usr/share/doc/slurmd/examples/slurm.conf.simple /etc/slurm/slurm.conf'
           # sudo sed -E -i -e "s/^\s*ClusterName\s*=.*/ClusterName=github_expyre_test/" /etc/slurm/slurm.conf
           sudo bash -c 'sed -E -i -e "s/^\s*SlurmctldHost\s*=.*/SlurmctldHost=_HOST_/" /etc/slurm/slurm.conf'
           # sudo sed -E -i -e "s/^\s*DefaultStorageHost\s*=.*/DefaultStorageHost=none" /etc/slurm/slurm.conf
diff --git a/expyre/func.py b/expyre/func.py
index 9379b6d..1b73f3e 100644
--- a/expyre/func.py
+++ b/expyre/func.py
@@ -539,7 +539,7 @@ def _grouper(n, iterable):
             # get remote statuses and update in JobsDB
             status_of_remote_id = system.scheduler.status([j['remote_id'] for j in jobs_to_sync], verbose=verbose)
             for j in jobs_to_sync:
-                old_remote_status = list(config.db.jobs(id=j['id']))[0]['remote_status']
+                old_remote_status = list(config.db.jobs(id=re.escape(j['id'])))[0]['remote_status']
                 new_remote_status = status_of_remote_id[j['remote_id']]
                 if old_remote_status != new_remote_status:
                     if cli:
diff --git a/tests/test_func.py b/tests/test_func.py
index 83e4926..e1486fe 100644
--- a/tests/test_func.py
+++ b/tests/test_func.py
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ def do_work(sys_name):
     # yet set up by conftest.py if imported outside the test function
     from expyre.func import ExPyRe
 
-    xpr = ExPyRe('test', function=sum, args=[[1, 2, 3]])
+    xpr = ExPyRe('test+1', function=sum, args=[[1, 2, 3]])
 
     print('job id', xpr.id)