unfair unemployment decisions

I worked for a construction company for over a year. I was fired for being five minutes late to work. I applied for and was denied unemployment benefits. A coworker I befriended while on the job was also fired for being five minutes late. He applied for and was granted benefits. I don't understand how two people working for the same company can be fired for the same reason and one person be disqualified while the other person is not. I did not find this information out until it was too late to appeal the decision. Is there any further action that can be taken?