Hilgert is assistant professor in the School of Industrial Relations at the University of Montreal and author of the book,Hazard or Hardship: Crafting Global Norms on the Right to Refuse Unsafe Work (Cornell University Press 2013). The book takes a close look the rights of workers to refuse unsafe work, describing how a movement   in support of such rights was generated in the 1970s and spread globally through international labor standards.

Hilgert spent several years as a labor rights and anti-poverty activist in Minnesota and has been the recipient of human rights awards, a Fulbright and an Archibald Bush Foundation fellowship for his efforts. He holds a doctoral degree in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University.