OAKLAND — An East Oakland hotel owner refused to pay overtime or offer sick leave to six housekeepers in violation of local and state minimum wage laws, the city said in a lawsuit announced Thursday.

The suit against Quality Inn located on Enterprise Way is the first under a minimum wage ordinance Oakland voters approved in 2014.

Oakland City Attorney Barbara Parker said the hotel also forced employees to work off the clock before and after shifts, did not provide breaks and retaliated against employees who phoned in sick. Six housekeepers, who speak only Spanish, said they feared they would lose their jobs if they spoke up.

“I felt bad about the job because we were suffering a lot, we worked a lot but we were not paid any overtime or given any sick time,” said lead plaintiff Matilda Cortez in a city statement. “Even if we brought in a doctor’s note, we were not paid for our sick time off.”

A spokeswoman for the hotel’s parent company, Choice Hotels, said as a franchisor it does not own or operate the Quality Inn in Oakland.

“The hotel staff is employed by the owner of the hotel, and the owner is responsible for the day-to-day hotel operations,” said Lorri Christou, vice president of public relations and external affairs. “Choice Hotels has neither the right nor the ability to set, monitor or interfere in the terms and conditions established by hotel owners for their employees.”

Cortez and her co-workers brought their concerns to Centro Legal de la Raza, who filed the suit jointly with the city of Oakland. The suit alleges the violation of state law and Oakland’s Measure FF have been going on for at least four years.

In a statement, Shira Levine, an attorney at Centro Legal de la Raza said: “Fear and employer retaliation permeate the housekeeping industry and allow employers to perpetuate exploitation. These six immigrant women overcame their personal fear and united to demand justice from their employer.”

The suit seeks unpaid wages and compensation to the employees, plus penalties and damages, Parker said. The city attorney said her office is committed to fighting abuse against employees. Measure FF set a minimum wage in Oakland at $12.25 per hour beginning in March 2015. A cost of living increase each year has lifted the wage to $12.86 per hour.

“Women and workers of color face higher rates of wage theft and exploitation,” Parker said. “Every worker in California, regardless of their profession, race, gender or their immigration status is entitled to basic rights including sick leave and a minimum wage.”