diff --git a/cws-core/src/main/java/jpl/cws/core/db/SchedulerDbService.java b/cws-core/src/main/java/jpl/cws/core/db/SchedulerDbService.java
index 55094dee..ceaf0946 100644
--- a/cws-core/src/main/java/jpl/cws/core/db/SchedulerDbService.java
+++ b/cws-core/src/main/java/jpl/cws/core/db/SchedulerDbService.java
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ public class SchedulerDbService extends DbService implements InitializingBean {
 	public static final int PROCESSES_PAGE_SIZE = 100;
 
 	public static final String FIND_CLAIMABLE_ROWS_SQL = 
-			"SELECT uuid FROM cws_sched_worker_proc_inst " +
+			"SELECT uuid, priority FROM cws_sched_worker_proc_inst " +
 			"WHERE " +
 			"  status='"+PENDING+"' AND " +
 			"  proc_def_key=? " +
@@ -256,10 +256,10 @@ public int updateProcInstIdAndStartedByWorker(
 	public Map<String,List<String>> claimHighestPriorityStartReq(String workerId, Map<String,Integer> workerProcsList, Map<String,Integer> limitsPerProcs, int limit) {
 		List<String> claimUuids = new ArrayList<String>();
 		List<String> rowUuids = new ArrayList<String>();
-		List<String> rowUuidsPerProcDefKey = new ArrayList<String>();
+		List<Map<String, Object>> rowUuidsPerProcDefKey = new ArrayList<Map<String, Object>>();
 		LinkedHashMap<String, String> uuidAndProcDefKeyPair = new LinkedHashMap<String, String>();
 		List<String> clearOutUnclaimedInst = new ArrayList<String>();
-		List<String> unfilteredRowUuids = new ArrayList<String>();
+		List<Map<String, Object>> unfilteredProcesses = new ArrayList<Map<String, Object>>();
 		List<String> claimedRowUuids = new ArrayList<String>();
 		long t0 = System.currentTimeMillis();
 		int numClaimed = 0;
@@ -273,16 +273,21 @@ public Map<String,List<String>> claimHighestPriorityStartReq(String workerId, Ma
 				// Find claimable rows
 				//
 				for (Map.Entry<String, Integer> procs : limitsPerProcs.entrySet()) {
-					rowUuidsPerProcDefKey = jdbcTemplate.queryForList(FIND_CLAIMABLE_ROWS_SQL, String.class,
-						new Object[] {procs.getKey(), procs.getValue()*2});
+					rowUuidsPerProcDefKey = jdbcTemplate.queryForList(FIND_CLAIMABLE_ROWS_SQL, new Object[] {procs.getKey(), procs.getValue()*2});
 					// get list of uuids using array of procdefkeys IN (keys)
-					unfilteredRowUuids.addAll(rowUuidsPerProcDefKey);
+					unfilteredProcesses.addAll(rowUuidsPerProcDefKey);
 				}
+
+				unfilteredProcesses.sort(new Comparator<Map<String, Object>>() {
+                    public int compare(Map<String, Object> one, Map<String, Object> two) {
+                        return ((Integer) one.get("priority")).compareTo((Integer) two.get("priority"));
+                    }
+                });
 				
-				Collections.sort(unfilteredRowUuids);
-				for (String id : unfilteredRowUuids) {
-					String procDefKeyString = getProcDefKeyFromUuid(id);
-					uuidAndProcDefKeyPair.put(id, procDefKeyString);
+				for (Map<String, Object> proc : unfilteredProcesses) {
+					String uuid = (String) proc.get("uuid");
+					String procDefKeyString = getProcDefKeyFromUuid(uuid);
+					uuidAndProcDefKeyPair.put(uuid, procDefKeyString);
 				}
 
 				for (Map.Entry<String,Integer> procLimit : limitsPerProcs.entrySet()) {
@@ -1537,4 +1542,4 @@ public int retryFailedToStart(List<String> uuids) {
 
 		return jdbcTemplate.update(query);
 	}
-}
+}
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