diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yml b/.github/workflows/test.yml
index f38d5d27..b9a249ed 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yml
@@ -84,11 +84,14 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Set up slurm
         if: ${{ matrix.cluster_type == 'slurm' }}
+        # docker build can lead to race condition -> image "docker.io/library/ipp-cluster:slurm": already exists
+        # see https://github.com/mlflow/mlflow/pull/20779
+        # work-a-round fix: docker compose again if first call failed
         run: |
           export DOCKER_BUILDKIT=1
           export COMPOSE_DOCKER_CLI_BUILD=1
           cd ci/slurm
-          docker compose up -d --build
+          docker compose up -d --build || docker compose up -d --build
 
       - name: Install Python (conda) ${{ matrix.python }}
         if: ${{ matrix.cluster_type == 'mpi' }}
@@ -128,6 +131,23 @@ jobs:
           pip install distributed joblib
           pip install --only-binary :all: matplotlib
 
+      - name: Start MongoDB
+        if: ${{ (! matrix.runs_on) && (! matrix.cluster_type) }} # only under linux with no cluster
+        uses: supercharge/mongodb-github-action@1.12.1 # uses latest mongodb per default
+
+      - name: Install pymongo package
+        if: ${{ (! matrix.runs_on) && (! matrix.cluster_type) }} # only under linux with no cluster
+        run: pip install pymongo
+
+      - name: Try to connect to mongodb
+        if: ${{ (! matrix.runs_on) && (! matrix.cluster_type) }} # only under linux with no cluster
+        run: |
+          python3 <<EOF
+          from pymongo import MongoClient
+          client = MongoClient('mongodb://localhost:27017/',serverSelectionTimeoutMS=1)
+          print(client.server_info())
+          EOF
+
       - name: Show environment
         run: pip freeze
 
diff --git a/ipyparallel/controller/mongodb.py b/ipyparallel/controller/mongodb.py
index e064a806..45a0f68c 100644
--- a/ipyparallel/controller/mongodb.py
+++ b/ipyparallel/controller/mongodb.py
@@ -11,15 +11,11 @@
 except ImportError:
     from bson import Binary
 
+from bson.codec_options import CodecOptions
 from traitlets import Dict, Instance, List, Unicode
 
 from .dictdb import BaseDB
 
-# we need to determine the pymongo version because of API changes. see
-# https://pymongo.readthedocs.io/en/stable/migrate-to-pymongo4.html
-pymongo_version_major = int(version.split('.')[0])
-pymongo_version_minor = int(version.split('.')[1])
-
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # MongoDB class
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -53,23 +49,28 @@ class MongoDB(BaseDB):
 
     def __init__(self, **kwargs):
         super().__init__(**kwargs)
+
+        # make sure that pymongo version is at least 4.x because of API changes. see
+        # https://pymongo.readthedocs.io/en/stable/migrate-to-pymongo4.html
+        # for more details
+        pymongo_version_major = int(version.split('.')[0])
+        if pymongo_version_major < 4:
+            raise Exception(
+                f"pymongo package too old (current version={version}). Please update to version 4.0 or higher"
+            )
+
         if self._connection is None:
             self._connection = MongoClient(
                 *self.connection_args, **self.connection_kwargs
             )
         if not self.database:
             self.database = self.session
+        options = CodecOptions(tz_aware=True)
         self._db = self._connection[self.database]
-        self._records = self._db['task_records']
-        if pymongo_version_major >= 4:
-            # mimic the old API 3.x
-            self._records.insert = self._records.insert_one
-            self._records.update = self._records.update_one
-            self._records.ensure_index = self._records.create_index
-            self._records.remove = self._records.delete_many
-
-        self._records.ensure_index('msg_id', unique=True)
-        self._records.ensure_index('submitted')  # for sorting history
+        self._records = self._db.get_collection("task_records", options)
+        # self._records = self._db['task_records']
+        self._records.create_index('msg_id', unique=True)
+        self._records.create_index('submitted')  # for sorting history
         # for rec in self._records.find
 
     def _binary_buffers(self, rec):
@@ -82,7 +83,7 @@ def add_record(self, msg_id, rec):
         """Add a new Task Record, by msg_id."""
         # print rec
         rec = self._binary_buffers(rec)
-        self._records.insert(rec)
+        self._records.insert_one(rec)
 
     def get_record(self, msg_id):
         """Get a specific Task Record, by msg_id."""
@@ -96,15 +97,15 @@ def update_record(self, msg_id, rec):
         """Update the data in an existing record."""
         rec = self._binary_buffers(rec)
 
-        self._records.update({'msg_id': msg_id}, {'$set': rec})
+        self._records.update_one({'msg_id': msg_id}, {'$set': rec})
 
     def drop_matching_records(self, check):
         """Remove a record from the DB."""
-        self._records.remove(check)
+        self._records.delete_many(check)
 
     def drop_record(self, msg_id):
         """Remove a record from the DB."""
-        self._records.remove({'msg_id': msg_id})
+        self._records.delete_many({'msg_id': msg_id})
 
     def find_records(self, check, keys=None):
         """Find records matching a query dict, optionally extracting subset of keys.
diff --git a/ipyparallel/tests/test_label.py b/ipyparallel/tests/test_label.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8820b863
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ipyparallel/tests/test_label.py
@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+"""Tests for task label functionality"""
+
+# Copyright (c) IPython Development Team.
+# Distributed under the terms of the Modified BSD License.
+import logging
+import os
+from unittest import TestCase
+
+import pytest
+
+import ipyparallel as ipp
+from ipyparallel.cluster.launcher import LocalControllerLauncher
+
+
+def speudo_wait(t):
+    import time
+
+    tic = time.time()
+    print(f"waiting for {t}s...")
+    # time.sleep(t)  # do NOT wait for t seconds to speed up tests
+    print("done")
+    return time.time() - tic
+
+
+class TaskLabelTest:
+    def setUp(self):
+        self.cluster = ipp.Cluster(
+            n=2, log_level=10, controller=self.get_controller_launcher()
+        )
+        self.cluster.start_cluster_sync()
+
+        self.rc = self.cluster.connect_client_sync()
+        self.rc.wait_for_engines(n=2)
+
+    def get_controller_launcher(self):
+        raise NotImplementedError
+
+    def tearDown(self):
+        self.cluster.stop_engines()
+        self.cluster.stop_controller()
+        # self.cluster.close()
+
+    def run_tasks(self, view):
+        ar_list = []
+        # use context to set label
+        with view.temp_flags(label="mylabel_map"):
+            ar_list.append(view.map_async(speudo_wait, [1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5]))
+        # use set_flags to set label
+        ar_list.extend(
+            [
+                view.set_flags(label=f"mylabel_apply_{i:02}").apply_async(
+                    speudo_wait, 2 + i / 10
+                )
+                for i in range(5)
+            ]
+        )
+        view.wait(ar_list)
+
+        # build list of used labels
+        map_labels = ["mylabel_map"]
+        apply_labels = []
+        for i in range(5):
+            apply_labels.append(f"mylabel_apply_{i:02}")
+        return map_labels, apply_labels
+
+    def check_labels(self, labels):
+        # query database
+        data = self.rc.db_query({'label': {"$nin": ""}}, keys=['msg_id', 'label'])
+        for d in data:
+            msg_id = d['msg_id']
+            label = d['label']
+            assert label in labels
+            labels.remove(label)
+
+        assert len(labels) == 0
+
+    def clear_db(self):
+        self.rc.purge_everything()
+
+    def test_balanced_view(self):
+        bview = self.rc.load_balanced_view()
+        map_labels, apply_labels = self.run_tasks(bview)
+        labels = map_labels * 5 + apply_labels
+        self.check_labels(labels)
+        self.clear_db()
+
+    def test_direct_view(self):
+        dview = self.rc[:]
+        map_labels, apply_labels = self.run_tasks(dview)
+        labels = map_labels * 2 + apply_labels * 2
+        self.check_labels(labels)
+        self.clear_db()
+
+
+class TestLabelDictDB(TaskLabelTest, TestCase):
+    def get_controller_launcher(self):
+        class dictDB(LocalControllerLauncher):
+            controller_args = ["--dictdb"]
+
+        return dictDB
+
+
+class TestLabelSqliteDB(TaskLabelTest, TestCase):
+    def get_controller_launcher(self):
+        class sqliteDB(LocalControllerLauncher):
+            controller_args = ["--sqlitedb"]
+
+        return sqliteDB