I'm very excited about the possibility of a Union Dues series. You asked what the Super-Hero genre is missing, I have some observations.
Battle Star Galacta was amazing. I know nothing of military life, and just a little about politics. However, seeing that show, it certainly felt like the writers and production staff had researched the workings of military and civilian organizations. It also seemed that they must have had some real understanding of how such groups, as well as individuals, have responded under high-stress circumstances.
Similarly, I know nothing about working as part of a First-World corporation in a developing nation, nor what it is like to be a refugee living in Africa. It certainly felt as though the folks who put together District 9 had developed an understanding of those topics before they set out to work.
The results of those shows are much preferable to those of X-men, for example. Not that the X-men aren't fun, but one comes away from it, and most of it's ilk, feeling more like you've learned something about the fantasies of a 14 year old boy than gotten a taste of reality-based speculative fiction.
So for my first request: Do some serious homework.
Get a solid understanding of real life unions and how they work. Good, bad, ugly, etc.
Then get a solid understanding of real life "Super-Humans." Bruce Lee, Bjork, Wayne Gretzky spring to my mind. Maybe you'd prefer Olympic Atheletes, (who have the added bonus of being take out of "normal life" at a young age, much like most of the Union characters), or maybe historical and present day geniuses. Whatever seems inspiring.
Add a bit of knowledge about the characters of a few political or business heavy hitters. Doesn't have to be huge, but develop a bit of a sense of what it would be like to know the kind of person who might lay off a few thousand workers or send a lot of soldiers to their death just as a matter of course in their work.
Second request: Trust the creative process / team.
Doing the background work should be a source of inspiration and provide a solid foundation for you, and the audience, to really latch onto. It shouldn't overshadow the fascination of the super powers or impose unnecessary limits on the plot.
The only hard limits I'd like would be that nobody who thinks or acts like an immature idiot (Heroes springs to mind) lasts long in the real world, so don't let it fly in yours. And nobody comes back to life. Dead people stay dead, and the consequences of one show permeate those that follow.
Third request: Ice the cake!
This is my favorite gimick idea:
In the story, the Luminaries work with a PR team to re-tell actual events as larger-than-life Super-Hero events. Do the same thing by having a "Previously on Union Dues" section for every show, and use that as an opportunity to show events the way a comic-book author might. Where the main show should feel like you are leaning on real life for inspiration, the "Previously ..." should be re-shot with bigger, bolder colors, actors hamming it up just a little bit, and the whole thing coming together so that it feels like the preview for the next summer blockbuster, a corporate PR statement, and a public service announcement all rolled into one.
The real trick is to start off having it just be an amusing piece of the show, with the in-show characters occasionally being shown as they go through the paces of putting together the PR retelling. And then, just when everybody is used to the entertainment of the "Previously ..." section being used to make fun of all the cheesy Super Hero movies, do Something Horrible. In my head, somebody who we thought was a main character dies as a result of the Union deciding they were expendable, and when the next "Previously..." comes out, everyone suddenly leaves their seat, points at the screen, and says "THAT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENED!" And we watch in horror as folks are simultaneously grieving their lost companion and being made to participate in a vile cover up for their superiors. While normally fun, there should be a few "Previously ..." sequences that are about as ugly and dishonest as would be a US government campaign that claimed JFK died driving drunk or MLK Jr. over-dosed on heroin, and we should take their lives as a precautionary tale against drug abuse.
Hope this is useful, good luck and thanks!