diff --git a/drivers/block/loop.c b/drivers/block/loop.c
index 66e8c3b94ef35443f46bf67ea3065023da8b808d..c8bf270b7890883dc7b1c3a929ed6ae2c13e61f1 100644
--- a/drivers/block/loop.c
+++ b/drivers/block/loop.c
@@ -548,7 +548,7 @@ static int loop_thread(void *data)
 	struct loop_device *lo = data;
 	struct bio *bio;
 
-	set_user_nice(current, -20);
+	set_user_nice(current, MIN_NICE);
 
 	while (!kthread_should_stop() || !bio_list_empty(&lo->lo_bio_list)) {
 
diff --git a/drivers/block/nbd.c b/drivers/block/nbd.c
index 55298db36b2d61a113f25c22905fffb0f22ddd32..2a1f26bd6640d9a2c14728644ea1be65f05a4f38 100644
--- a/drivers/block/nbd.c
+++ b/drivers/block/nbd.c
@@ -533,7 +533,7 @@ static int nbd_thread(void *data)
 	struct nbd_device *nbd = data;
 	struct request *req;
 
-	set_user_nice(current, -20);
+	set_user_nice(current, MIN_NICE);
 	while (!kthread_should_stop() || !list_empty(&nbd->waiting_queue)) {
 		/* wait for something to do */
 		wait_event_interruptible(nbd->waiting_wq,
diff --git a/drivers/block/pktcdvd.c b/drivers/block/pktcdvd.c
index a2af73db187b694c3112bf1c6d08e4070596cd10..ef166ad2dbadc37bdd58a4e055409898291eea82 100644
--- a/drivers/block/pktcdvd.c
+++ b/drivers/block/pktcdvd.c
@@ -1463,7 +1463,7 @@ static int kcdrwd(void *foobar)
 	struct packet_data *pkt;
 	long min_sleep_time, residue;
 
-	set_user_nice(current, -20);
+	set_user_nice(current, MIN_NICE);
 	set_freezable();
 
 	for (;;) {
diff --git a/drivers/char/ipmi/ipmi_si_intf.c b/drivers/char/ipmi/ipmi_si_intf.c
index b7efd3c1a882525431da787f1679e33729243f82..0f20d3646a465aefc16537d8037811a9c82bed56 100644
--- a/drivers/char/ipmi/ipmi_si_intf.c
+++ b/drivers/char/ipmi/ipmi_si_intf.c
@@ -998,7 +998,7 @@ static int ipmi_thread(void *data)
 	struct timespec busy_until;
 
 	ipmi_si_set_not_busy(&busy_until);
-	set_user_nice(current, 19);
+	set_user_nice(current, MAX_NICE);
 	while (!kthread_should_stop()) {
 		int busy_wait;
 
diff --git a/drivers/s390/crypto/ap_bus.c b/drivers/s390/crypto/ap_bus.c
index ab3baa7f95082e0cabf03906354c69ae9ed8880b..8eec1653c9cc44ec5c338f61f49b74dedbedceef 100644
--- a/drivers/s390/crypto/ap_bus.c
+++ b/drivers/s390/crypto/ap_bus.c
@@ -1803,7 +1803,7 @@ static int ap_poll_thread(void *data)
 	int requests;
 	struct ap_device *ap_dev;
 
-	set_user_nice(current, 19);
+	set_user_nice(current, MAX_NICE);
 	while (1) {
 		if (ap_suspend_flag)
 			return 0;
diff --git a/drivers/scsi/bnx2fc/bnx2fc_fcoe.c b/drivers/scsi/bnx2fc/bnx2fc_fcoe.c
index 6287f6a8b79d6c37b3b93d3509c11350c57d29bd..3455cc5e4bfd245a21f9e1a5c866faa347b43d86 100644
--- a/drivers/scsi/bnx2fc/bnx2fc_fcoe.c
+++ b/drivers/scsi/bnx2fc/bnx2fc_fcoe.c
@@ -464,7 +464,7 @@ static int bnx2fc_l2_rcv_thread(void *arg)
 	struct fcoe_percpu_s *bg = arg;
 	struct sk_buff *skb;
 
-	set_user_nice(current, -20);
+	set_user_nice(current, MIN_NICE);
 	set_current_state(TASK_INTERRUPTIBLE);
 	while (!kthread_should_stop()) {
 		schedule();
@@ -602,7 +602,7 @@ int bnx2fc_percpu_io_thread(void *arg)
 	struct bnx2fc_work *work, *tmp;
 	LIST_HEAD(work_list);
 
-	set_user_nice(current, -20);
+	set_user_nice(current, MIN_NICE);
 	set_current_state(TASK_INTERRUPTIBLE);
 	while (!kthread_should_stop()) {
 		schedule();
diff --git a/drivers/scsi/bnx2i/bnx2i_hwi.c b/drivers/scsi/bnx2i/bnx2i_hwi.c
index b5ffd280a1aefeab817953a506484c033066ae95..d6d491c2f00463c4f3d9f32a900e7b96cc9803b3 100644
--- a/drivers/scsi/bnx2i/bnx2i_hwi.c
+++ b/drivers/scsi/bnx2i/bnx2i_hwi.c
@@ -1870,7 +1870,7 @@ int bnx2i_percpu_io_thread(void *arg)
 	struct bnx2i_work *work, *tmp;
 	LIST_HEAD(work_list);
 
-	set_user_nice(current, -20);
+	set_user_nice(current, MIN_NICE);
 
 	while (!kthread_should_stop()) {
 		spin_lock_bh(&p->p_work_lock);
diff --git a/drivers/scsi/fcoe/fcoe.c b/drivers/scsi/fcoe/fcoe.c
index f3170008ae71b9b84de3c05b443a600d96e4396d..843a679d2a5e5733355e5aa3819651886d1d6071 100644
--- a/drivers/scsi/fcoe/fcoe.c
+++ b/drivers/scsi/fcoe/fcoe.c
@@ -1872,7 +1872,7 @@ static int fcoe_percpu_receive_thread(void *arg)
 
 	skb_queue_head_init(&tmp);
 
-	set_user_nice(current, -20);
+	set_user_nice(current, MIN_NICE);
 
 retry:
 	while (!kthread_should_stop()) {
diff --git a/drivers/scsi/ibmvscsi/ibmvfc.c b/drivers/scsi/ibmvscsi/ibmvfc.c
index 23f5ba5e6472581d4aa69bef39d1ca25992502d4..8dd47689d58430a1147a389c1eeed1eea1afae1d 100644
--- a/drivers/scsi/ibmvscsi/ibmvfc.c
+++ b/drivers/scsi/ibmvscsi/ibmvfc.c
@@ -4515,7 +4515,7 @@ static int ibmvfc_work(void *data)
 	struct ibmvfc_host *vhost = data;
 	int rc;
 
-	set_user_nice(current, -20);
+	set_user_nice(current, MIN_NICE);
 
 	while (1) {
 		rc = wait_event_interruptible(vhost->work_wait_q,
diff --git a/drivers/scsi/ibmvscsi/ibmvscsi.c b/drivers/scsi/ibmvscsi/ibmvscsi.c
index fa764406df6872c2daa9fa3d2e75a9e5f2164c8b..2ebfb2bb0f425f78975ac2c678c9130834d500b0 100644
--- a/drivers/scsi/ibmvscsi/ibmvscsi.c
+++ b/drivers/scsi/ibmvscsi/ibmvscsi.c
@@ -2213,7 +2213,7 @@ static int ibmvscsi_work(void *data)
 	struct ibmvscsi_host_data *hostdata = data;
 	int rc;
 
-	set_user_nice(current, -20);
+	set_user_nice(current, MIN_NICE);
 
 	while (1) {
 		rc = wait_event_interruptible(hostdata->work_wait_q,
diff --git a/drivers/scsi/lpfc/lpfc_hbadisc.c b/drivers/scsi/lpfc/lpfc_hbadisc.c
index 59b51c529ba0f9666a7200928ea7b330626daac7..294c072e90835efbb72012f2789dc412bf8c9686 100644
--- a/drivers/scsi/lpfc/lpfc_hbadisc.c
+++ b/drivers/scsi/lpfc/lpfc_hbadisc.c
@@ -731,7 +731,7 @@ lpfc_do_work(void *p)
 	struct lpfc_hba *phba = p;
 	int rc;
 
-	set_user_nice(current, -20);
+	set_user_nice(current, MIN_NICE);
 	current->flags |= PF_NOFREEZE;
 	phba->data_flags = 0;
 
diff --git a/drivers/scsi/qla2xxx/qla_os.c b/drivers/scsi/qla2xxx/qla_os.c
index 19e99cc33724c526f30de23d0e98d0757cf2f99d..afc84814e9bb3b5db7682c4e5b7751edd8b051e4 100644
--- a/drivers/scsi/qla2xxx/qla_os.c
+++ b/drivers/scsi/qla2xxx/qla_os.c
@@ -4828,7 +4828,7 @@ qla2x00_do_dpc(void *data)
 	ha = (struct qla_hw_data *)data;
 	base_vha = pci_get_drvdata(ha->pdev);
 
-	set_user_nice(current, -20);
+	set_user_nice(current, MIN_NICE);
 
 	set_current_state(TASK_INTERRUPTIBLE);
 	while (!kthread_should_stop()) {
diff --git a/drivers/staging/android/binder.c b/drivers/staging/android/binder.c
index cfe4bc8f05cb82ec83b4e127ba53f8e72968a85c..179b21b665042c6efd1d32df435cb1e5cea326e8 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/android/binder.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/android/binder.c
@@ -441,7 +441,7 @@ static void binder_set_nice(long nice)
 		     "%d: nice value %ld not allowed use %ld instead\n",
 		      current->pid, nice, min_nice);
 	set_user_nice(current, min_nice);
-	if (min_nice < 20)
+	if (min_nice <= MAX_NICE)
 		return;
 	binder_user_error("%d RLIMIT_NICE not set\n", current->pid);
 }
diff --git a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/lloop.c b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/lloop.c
index f78eda235c7ab43a561efb21cfc0b4c50be4bcbe..d4c2cd91add41272b815be7de32ccecc27d6d887 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/lloop.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/lloop.c
@@ -407,7 +407,7 @@ static int loop_thread(void *data)
 	int refcheck;
 	int ret = 0;
 
-	set_user_nice(current, -20);
+	set_user_nice(current, MIN_NICE);
 
 	lo->lo_state = LLOOP_BOUND;
 
diff --git a/fs/ocfs2/cluster/heartbeat.c b/fs/ocfs2/cluster/heartbeat.c
index bf482dfed14fecf17406a6aa2d517929d6834800..73039295d0d1f35205e060220521934afd33ff27 100644
--- a/fs/ocfs2/cluster/heartbeat.c
+++ b/fs/ocfs2/cluster/heartbeat.c
@@ -1107,7 +1107,7 @@ static int o2hb_thread(void *data)
 
 	mlog(ML_HEARTBEAT|ML_KTHREAD, "hb thread running\n");
 
-	set_user_nice(current, -20);
+	set_user_nice(current, MIN_NICE);
 
 	/* Pin node */
 	o2nm_depend_this_node();
diff --git a/kernel/locking/locktorture.c b/kernel/locking/locktorture.c
index f26b1a18e34e03cb0582fbf2de16d008f9731d89..23343be46e91c16068a1131cc893acb40ae5b5d2 100644
--- a/kernel/locking/locktorture.c
+++ b/kernel/locking/locktorture.c
@@ -216,7 +216,7 @@ static int lock_torture_writer(void *arg)
 	static DEFINE_TORTURE_RANDOM(rand);
 
 	VERBOSE_TOROUT_STRING("lock_torture_writer task started");
-	set_user_nice(current, 19);
+	set_user_nice(current, MAX_NICE);
 
 	do {
 		schedule_timeout_uninterruptible(1);
diff --git a/kernel/workqueue.c b/kernel/workqueue.c
index 0ee63af30bd14a4ad7f4b8f846d19b100fd596b3..c30c01b32ecea6d9fea573551bb1b71fb6e543d2 100644
--- a/kernel/workqueue.c
+++ b/kernel/workqueue.c
@@ -100,10 +100,10 @@ enum {
 
 	/*
 	 * Rescue workers are used only on emergencies and shared by
-	 * all cpus.  Give -20.
+	 * all cpus.  Give MIN_NICE.
 	 */
-	RESCUER_NICE_LEVEL	= -20,
-	HIGHPRI_NICE_LEVEL	= -20,
+	RESCUER_NICE_LEVEL	= MIN_NICE,
+	HIGHPRI_NICE_LEVEL	= MIN_NICE,
 
 	WQ_NAME_LEN		= 24,
 };
diff --git a/mm/huge_memory.c b/mm/huge_memory.c
index 1546655a2d78afe4dc1c954b5e0ccff77ba3437f..dcdb6f9adea194f323a19a4303fff499c5c11294 100644
--- a/mm/huge_memory.c
+++ b/mm/huge_memory.c
@@ -2803,7 +2803,7 @@ static int khugepaged(void *none)
 	struct mm_slot *mm_slot;
 
 	set_freezable();
-	set_user_nice(current, 19);
+	set_user_nice(current, MAX_NICE);
 
 	while (!kthread_should_stop()) {
 		khugepaged_do_scan();