Midwest, first look at your contract, because everyone here has something different in their contract/supplement. I too am from the midwest and a no call/no show is only an attendance infraction. If you are a no call for 3 straight days and do not make contact before your start time on the 4th day it is considered job abandonment. UPS has guidelines they use for attendance 3, 5, 7, and 9 occurances from verbal for the 3rd, to written for the 5th, NOS for the 7th and NOT for the 9th.
If there was no progressive discipline taken shame on the company for not trying to correct it before now, but that does not give them the right to skip verbal and written and go right for a suspension. Progressive discipline if used properly is there to change someones behavior. Also pull the employee on the side and explain that you and the union can help them in a lot of areas when they need it, but we cannot make them come to work everyday and on time, that is their responsibilty.